The Banalization of Evil
I think the author is on to something here about the possible misuses of history. This article discusses from a historical and philosophical perspective the famous, Hannah Arnedt's famous phrase "the banality of evil" as it related to the Nazi crimes against the Jews. Essentially he believes that while early after the Holocaust, for a variety of reasons, the crimes weren't nearly as discussed or confronted as they have become now. Yet, he seems to be concerned that we no overuse the Holocaust analogy to the point where we risk taking away some of the universal import of its lessons by constantly localizing events and comparaing them to something that should stand as a singular lesson about mankind's potential for "evil."
I, myself, think that threats and memories always fade away and not always through the "banalization" of politicized misuse. It is impossible for subsequent generations to ever appreciate the lessons of history as fully as those who just emerged from a given time period. Only historians can begin to really understand, and even they only do so in that academic of ways. The visceral lessons always lessen and that is why history is in some ways cyclical with reflections of the past always playing some role in where we are at any given point in time.
I, myself, think that threats and memories always fade away and not always through the "banalization" of politicized misuse. It is impossible for subsequent generations to ever appreciate the lessons of history as fully as those who just emerged from a given time period. Only historians can begin to really understand, and even they only do so in that academic of ways. The visceral lessons always lessen and that is why history is in some ways cyclical with reflections of the past always playing some role in where we are at any given point in time.
Comments