FAQ About Hannah Arendt

'Eichmann in Jerusalem' provoked controversy due to Arendt's interpretation of Adolf Eichmann's character and actions. Her portrayal suggested that Eichmann was not a monstrous figure but rather an ordinary individual obeying orders, thus the 'banality of evil.' Many critics argued that her thesis diminished Eichmann's culpability in the atrocities of the Holocaust. Arendt's argument sparked intense debate over the nature of evil, moral responsibility, and judgment, drawing both criticism and praise.