Judaism and Hannah Arendt

Question

what does Judaism have to say regarding Hannah Arendt’s theory that evil is passive, banal rules following as opposed to a form of active conscious evil?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Despite the fact that Hannah Arendt did not reach any of her conclusions through her familiarity with authentic Judaism (which she did not have), nevertheless, I think that parts of what she writes are applicable to Jewish thought. Judaism does not believe that a person is born intrinsically evil for which there is no reprieve. Rather, Judaism teaches that a person needs to control their negative qualities so that they do not act in an evil way. However, Arendt’s philosophy seems to be saying that a “regular” or a “normal” person has no responsibility for their evil actions if they were a part of a society that approved of such actions. Nothing could be further from the truth. Judaism teaches that we are all responsible for our actions and living in a corrupt and evil society does not exempt – in any way whatsoever – a person’s obligation to do what is right in the eyes of Hashem.

    Therefore, for example, Judaism does not accept that a person was “simply following orders” as a valid excuse for evil and degenerate behavior, because, however much environment can influence a person, in no way can it justify behavior that is absolutely and entirely contrary to the Torah.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team