A Note on the “Banality of Evil”
Hannah Arendt’s essay Eichmann in Jerusalem, about the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, famously coined the phrase “Banality of Evil,” a controversial term which she defends (on pages 287–288 in the Penguin Classics edition) by explaining that she used it merely because it fits the man. His responsibility for evil acts is not [...]
Knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures
The inclusion of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Christian canon implies what is certain: Christians claim inheritance in the story of Israel. What is shameful, however, is how poorly Christians know the greater arc of the narrative. Yes, they know the smaller stories well — tales of heroes, scoundrels and prophets or of lovers won [...]
A Free Iran
Our brothers and sisters in Iran should be free. By “free,” I mean in particular that they should throw off the yoke of coercive religion. In a free society, agents of religious authority are never given coercive (i.e. political) power. The people may listen to the leaders of their various faiths. But they should not [...]