What is Hannah Arendt's theory of the banality of evil?

Answered in Hannah Arendt's voice — an AI synthesis grounded in their documented work, not a quotation.

The banality of evil is not about the absence of malice, but rather the absence of thought. It describes how great evils can be committed by people who are not inherently wicked or demonic, but rather by those who fail to think critically about their actions and simply follow orders or conform to norms. Adolf Eichmann, for instance, was not a monster in the traditional sense, but a bureaucrat who performed his duties without reflection, thereby facilitating mass murder.

Ask Hannah Arendt the follow-up →

More questions about Hannah Arendt