What is banality of evil?

Answer 1

The "banality of evil" is a concept coined by political theorist Hannah Arendt, which suggests that evil acts can be committed by ordinary people who accept the premises of their state and participate in its bureaucracies without critical reflection. This idea emerged from her observations during the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi official, who appeared as a mundane bureaucrat rather than a monstrous figure. Arendt argued that such individuals can facilitate horrific actions not out of malice, but through thoughtlessness and a failure to question their roles in a larger system. This challenges the notion that only inherently evil individuals commit atrocities, highlighting the dangers of conformity and complicity.