Hannah Arendt on the Dangerous Argument of the Lesser Evil

„In their moral justification, the argument of the lesser evil has played a prominent role. If you are confronted with two evils, the argument runs, it is your duty to opt for the lesser one, whereas it is irresponsible to refuse to choose altogether. Its weakness has always been that those who choose the lesser evil forget quickly that they chose evil.[....] Acceptance of the lesser evil is deliberately used to accustom officials, as well as the population at large, to accept the evil itself.“

Hannah ArendtHannah Arendt warns against the lesser evil argument: It can lead to accepting moral evil as normal – an important insight.

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Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was a German historian and philosopher who extensively studied totalitarianism, politics, and social theory.

This quote highlights the danger that the argument of the lesser evil can lead to accepting evil as normal, thereby blurring ethical boundaries.

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Hannah Arendt|authority, democracy, feudalism, mass media, nsdap, politics, press, state, technocracy, tyranny

Hannah Arendt was a prominent political theorist and philosopher of the 20th century, known for her studies on totalitarianism, power, authority, and the nature of evil. Born in Germany, she emigrated to the USA during the Nazi era, where she wrote her most influential works. Her analyses continue to shape the understanding of political systems and social structures.