사유함과 도덕: ‘악의 평범성’을 중심으로 = The Relationship between Thinking and Morality: Arendt's Banality of Evil

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Arendt claimed that the banality of evil is a characteristic of modern evil, which is an extraordinary shallowness in thinking, or thoughtlessness as the absence of thinking. Modern individuals commit evil acts by adhering to regulations without thoughtful consideration of their actions. If the characteristic of evil is thoughtlessness, can evil acts be directly and practically prevented through thoughtfulness, which involves deep reflection on one's actions? Arendt's opinion is somewhat cautious. she believed that thinking does not necessarily produce practical wisdom. According to her, thinking may bring about conscience but it is only its by-product, and its effects are limited to oneself. It cannot instruct others on good deeds or has a direct influence on the development of morality in a community.
However, thinking can form conditions for moral action. It stops all action, preventing evil behavior, and causes us to reflect on the meaning of our actions. Of course, one should not be confident that thinking will guarantee ethical decision-making or practical action. Because mankind has experienced dark times when human mental faculties have shattered.
Thinking does not present us with the promise of moral salvation. Nevertheless, it provides shelter for humans to be humans in dark times. Thinking can stop all action and prevent the corruption of action by destroying the generally accepted rules of conduct of the time. Furthermore, thinking provides the conditions for new moral and political actions by liberating the faculty to judge what is right the in this moment. In the space of thinking, we can remember human morality. This is the moral meaning of thinking.

참고문헌 (Reference)

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