Böses Denken

The philosopher Bettina Stangneth, who reignited the international debate on evil with her book about the Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann ("Eichmann Before Jerusalem"), poses an uncomfortable question: Do we really have the right to any thought, or does thinking also require ethics? Thoughts are free, and anyone who learns to think for themselves will become as free as they are. At least, that is what we believe. Because we are firmly convinced that there is a connection between thinking and morality, philosophers have been urging since the 18th century to consider everything, develop personal convictions, and act consistently according to them. We hope that those who think will not commit murder. Those who sincerely follow their convictions make the world a better place. But then came the 20th century, along with organized mass murder, the act of thinking murderers. And there came the suicide bombers, who are anything but thoughtless and yet kill. This elegantly written essay explains and expands upon classical concepts of evil, for anyone who wants to combat evil must first recognize it. It no longer appears merely as a stupid barbarian, sadistic thug, or thoughtless bureaucrat, but with seductively coherent arguments. As much as we might wish it: For us humans, nothing exists beyond good and evil. Not even thinking.