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Absolute Goodness, the Banality of Evil, and the Wickedness Beyond Vice

Publication at Faculty of Humanities |
2021

Abstract

The chapter deals with the problem of evil in Arendt, who overcomes the traditional theological dualism of good and evil by reflecting on absolute goodness and radical evil. The chapter argues that both good and evil in a pure or radical form turn out to be equally destructive for the world.

A religious point of view is not disqualified but rather bypassed through her secular concerns. Arendt's hesitation about whether to name the evil of totalitarian regimes "radical" or "banal" reflect her attempt to confront the Western theological legacy while emphasizing the world perspective, worldliness and politics.