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Evil and Human Agency
Evilisapoorlyunderstoodphenomenon.Inthisprovo-
cative and original approach to evil, Professor Vetlesen
argues that to do evil is to inflict pain intentionally on
anotherhumanbeing,againsthisorherwill,andcausing
serious and foreseeable harm. Vetlesen investigates why
andinwhatsortofcircumstancessuchadesirearises,and
how it is channelled, or exploited, into collective evil-
doing. He argues that such evildoing, pitting whole
groups against each other, springs from a combination
ofcharacter,situation,andsocialstructure.Bycombin-
ing a philosophical approach inspired by Hannah
Arendt, a psychological approach inspired by C. Fred
Alford,andasociologicalapproachinspiredbyZygmunt
Bauman, and bringing these to bear on the Holocaust
and ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia, Vetlesen
showshowcloselyperpetrators,victims,andbystanders
interact, and how aspects of human agency are recog-
nized,denied,andprojectedbydifferentagents.
ARNE JOHAN VETLESEN is Professor of Philosophy at
the Department of Philosophy, University of Oslo,
Norway.Heistheauthorofoverthirteenbooks,includ-
ing Perception, Empathy, and Judgment: An Inquiry into
the Preconditions of Moral Performance (1994) and
Closeness:AnEthics(withH.Jodalen,1997).
CambridgeCulturalSocialStudies
Serieseditors:JEFFREY C. ALEXANDER,Departmentof
Sociology,YaleUniversity,andSTEVEN SEIDMAN,Department
ofSociology,UniversityofAlbany,StateUniversityofNewYork.
Titlesintheseries
ROGER FRIEDLAND AND JOHN MOHR,MattersofCulture
DAVINA COOPER,ChallengingDiversity,RethinkingEqualityand
theValueofDifference
KRISHAN KUMAR,TheMakingofEnglishNationalIdentity
RON EYERMAN,CulturalTrauma
STEPHEN M. ENGEL,TheUnfinishedRevolution
MICHE` LE LAMONT AND LAURENT THE´ VENOT,Rethinking
ComparativeCulturalSociology
RON LEMBO,ThinkingthroughTelevision
ALI MIRSEPASSI,IntellectualDiscourseandthePoliticsof
Modernization
RONALD N. JACOBS,Race,Media,andtheCrisisofCivilSociety
ROBIN WAGNER-PACIFICI,TheorizingtheStandoff
KEVIN MCDONALD,StrugglesforSubjectivity
S.N. EISENSTADT,Fundamentalism,Sectarianism,and
Revolution
PIOTR SZTOMPKA,Trust
SIMON J. CHARLESWORTH,APhenomenologyofWorking-Class
Experience
LUC BOLTANSKI,TranslatedbyGRAHAM D. BURCHELL,
DistantSuffering
MARIAM FRASER,IdentitywithoutSelfhood
CAROLYN MARVIN AND DAVID W. INGLE,BloodSacrificeand
theNation
(listcontinuesatendofbook)
Evil and Human Agency
Understanding Collective Evildoing
ArneJohanVetlesen
cambridge university press
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore,SãoPaulo
Cambridge University Press
TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb22ru,UK
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambrid ge.org/9780521856942
©ArneJohanVetlesen2005
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisionof
relevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplace
withoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublishedinprintformat 2005
isbn-13 978-0-511-13555-2 eBook(EBL)
isbn-10 0-511-13555-6 eBook(EBL)
isbn-13 978-0-521-85694-2 hardback
isbn-10 0-521-85694-9 hardback
isbn-13 978-0-521-67357-0 paperback
isbn-10 0-521-67357-7 paperback
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Tomychildren:Anahita, Daniel, andPetterNicolai
Contents
Preface pagexi
Anoteonthecoverimage xii
Introduction 1
1 Theordinarinessofmodernevildoers:acritiqueofZygmunt
Bauman’sModernityandtheHolocaust 14
Introduction 14
TheHolocaustasmodernity’swindow 15
Reformulatingtherelationshipbetweensociety
andmorality 21
Themanymeaningsofproximity 23
Uncouplingresponsibilityfromreciprocity 27
Goldhagen’schallenge 29
ReassessingBauman’sthesisinthelightofrecent
scholarship 33
Mistakingthebureaucraticdesignforthereality 41
Renderinghumanbeingssuperfluous 47
2 HannahArendtonconscienceandthe‘banality’ofevil 52
Introduction 52
AssessingtheinfluenceofStAugustine 54
‘Icannotpossiblywanttobecomemyownadversary’:
theSocraticbottomline 57
Conscienceandtemptation 63
DidEichmannhaveaconscience? 69
ThenotionofconscienceinHeidegger’sBeingandTime 71
Arendt’sadvocacyoftheSocraticmodelofconscience 77
vii
viii Listofcontents
Doubledehumanizationandhumanagency 84
Lessonsofanunforeseenproximity:EichmannmeetsStorfer 89
Theattractionofsuperfluousness 98
3 Thepsycho-logicofwantingtohurtothers:Anassessment
ofC.FredAlford’sworkonevil 104
Introduction 104
‘Evilispleasureinhurtingandlackofremorse’ 106
Klein’spositionsofexperience 113
Imaginingevilasthealternativetodoingit:therole
ofculture 120
Evilasenvy 124
ProblemswithAlford’stheory 128
IdentifyingwithEichmann 135
ThelimitationsofAlford’sapproach 140
4 Thelogicandpracticeofcollectiveevil:‘ethniccleansing’
inBosnia 145
Introduction 145
Approachesto‘ethniccleansing’intheformerYugoslavia 148
Whatisgenocide? 154
Theexplosivedialecticofindividualization
andcollectivism 159
‘Ethniccleansing’asacaseofsecuritization 167
Thedifferencesbetweenindividualandcollectiveevil 170
Genocidallogicandthecollectivizationofagency 175
Girard’stheoryofthesurrogatevictim 182
Thedesignofgenocideas‘ethniccleansing’ 188
Genocidalrape:itsnatureandfunction 196
Rape,shame,andagency 203
5 Responsestocollectiveevil 220
Introduction 220
Howtopassjudgmentonevil? 221
Acultureofindifference 229
Theresponsibilityofbystanders:wheninactionmakes
forcomplicity 235
Bosnia:thefolliesofimpartialityenactedasneutrality 241
Threelessonsofmoralfailure 253
Collectiveagencyanditsdisaggregation 257
Truthcommissions,trials,andtestimonies 265
Description:Arne Johan Vetlesen argues that to do evil is to intentionally inflict pain on another human being, against his or her will, and cause serious and foreseeable harm. Vetlesen investigates why and in what sort of circumstances such a desire arises, and how it is channeled, or exploited, into collectiv
