The banality of evil, in Hannah Arendt

understanding and actuality of the concept

Abstract

The objective of the article is to analyze the concept of the banality of evil, in Hannah Arendt, in its comprehension and actuality. In the understanding that it appears in opposition to a concept of rooted evil, we analyze anti-Jewish radicalisms and the Kantian perspective of radical evil, to understand to what extent Nazism can be an evil of this nature. Radicality that Arendt questions, considering that, although extreme, that evil is without depth; experienced as something normal and for which no one questions or takes responsibility. It can currently occur whenever it is not denounced or criticized by individuals and institutions.