Marci Shore, an expert on 20th-century European intellectual history and Hannah Arendt, discusses the timeless concept of evil against today's background of war and suffering in Ukraine. They explore Arendt's thoughts on moral responsibility, the banality of evil, and how systemic violence dehumanizes individuals. Shore emphasizes the irreplaceability of human dignity in today’s totalitarian contexts and advocates for active civic engagement as a source of hope and resilience during dark times.
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insights INSIGHT
Radical Evil Erases Subjectivity
Hannah Arendt defines radical evil as making people superfluous and erasing their subjectivity.
Totalitarianism aims to destroy individuality in both victims and executioners.
insights INSIGHT
Banality of Evil Explained
Banality of evil illustrates evil as ordinary bureaucracy and failure to think.
Eichmann exemplified this as an unthinking bureaucrat executing horrific crimes.
insights INSIGHT
Connecting Radical and Banality Evil
Banality of evil is just one form; radical evil includes the broader ideology erasing individuals.
Eichmann saw himself as replaceable, a cog in a larger machine, lacking personal responsibility.
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In 'The Human Condition,' Hannah Arendt provides a comprehensive account of how human activities have been understood throughout Western history. She contrasts the 'vita activa' (active life) with the 'vita contemplativa' (contemplative life) and identifies three primary human activities: labor, work, and action. Arendt discusses how these activities have evolved and been affected by changes in Western history, emphasizing the importance of action in disclosing human identity and creating a 'space of appearances' through speech and deeds. The book addresses issues such as diminishing human agency, political freedom, and the paradox of increased human powers without corresponding control over their consequences[2][3][5].
The Origins of Totalitarianism
Hannah Arendt
In this seminal work, Hannah Arendt explores the historical and philosophical roots of totalitarianism. The book is structured into three essays: 'Antisemitism', 'Imperialism', and 'Totalitarianism'. Arendt examines the rise of anti-Semitism in 19th-century Europe, the role of European colonial imperialism, and the emergence of totalitarian movements in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. She argues that totalitarianism is a novel form of government that differs from other forms of political oppression by its use of terror to subjugate mass populations and its aim for global domination. The book also delves into the mechanics of totalitarian movements, including the transformation of classes into masses, the role of propaganda, and the use of terror to maintain control[2][4][5].
Eichmann in Jerusalem
A Report on the Banality of Evil
Hannah Arendt
Men in dark times
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt's "Men in Dark Times" is a collection of essays exploring the lives and actions of individuals who resisted totalitarian regimes. Arendt, a renowned political theorist, examines the moral and intellectual challenges faced by those who opposed tyranny. The essays offer profound insights into the nature of evil, the importance of individual conscience, and the complexities of political action. Arendt's work is characterized by its intellectual rigor and its ethical sensitivity. The book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of totalitarianism and the challenges of moral resistance. It remains highly relevant in contemporary discussions about political ethics and the fight against oppression.
Some might argue that the concept of evil is outdated in our relativistic age. And yet—how can we speak of war crimes, cruelty, or the neglect of human dignity without invoking the word evil? Perhaps it’s time to take it seriously again, to revisit the thinkers who have grappled with its meaning.
One of them, of course, is Hannah Arendt.
This is a conversation about Hannah Arendt and the concept of evil, which took place in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on June 1st, at the Kyiv Book Arsenal—one of the country’s major literary events. Despite the ongoing war, the fair was full of people.
My guest was Marci Shore, an American intellectual, historian, and university professor. She specializes in 20th-century European intellectual history, with a particular focus on Hannah Arendt. This year, Marci co-curated the Kyiv Book Arsenal’s focus topic, alongside Oksana Forostyna.
My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko. I’m a Ukrainian philosopher, the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine.
UkraineWorld is an English language media outlet about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine, one of the country’s leading media NGOs.
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Your support is vital, as we increasingly rely on crowdfunding. Even a small monthly donation can make a big difference.
You can also help fund our regular volunteer trips to Ukraine’s front-line areas, where we provide aid to both soldiers and civilians—mainly by delivering vehicles for the military and books for local communities. To support these efforts, you can donate via PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.
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Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:18 Support our work
04:44 Why is Hannah Arendt essential to understanding the 20th and 21st centuries?
06:16 What is Hannah Arendt's concept of 'radical evil'?
07:48 How are people made superfluous?
10:12 How has World War II shaped Arendt’s thought?
17:17 From “radical evil” to the “banality of evil”: connecting Arendt’s key concepts.
26:34 Marci Shore on the current situation in America
30:46 Thoughts on human dignity
32:14 Is the idea that 'everyone is replaceable' starting to repeat itself?
34:49 Why Sartre’s idea of “nothingness” might be dangerous?
42:14 Hannah Arendt: vita activa versus vita contemplativa
50:15 Outro
Explaining Ukraine 
