How could so many people support Hitler? - Joseph Lacey

翻译人员: Christina Tang 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

In Jerusalem, on April 11th, 1961,

1961年4月11日，

Adolf Eichmann stood trial for crimes against humanity.

阿道夫·艾希曼（Adolf Eichmann） 在耶路撒冷因危害人类罪受审。

Eichmann had been a Nazi official tasked with organizing the transport

艾希曼曾是纳粹官员，负责组织

of over 1.5 million European Jews to ghettos and concentration camps.

将超过150万欧洲犹太人 运送到贫民窟和集中营。

He was popularly described as an evil mastermind

他普遍被描述为一个邪恶的策划者，

who orchestrated atrocities from a cushy German office,

他在舒适的德国办公室里策划了暴行，

and many were eager to see the so-called “desk murderer” tried for his crimes.

许多人渴望看到所谓的 “案头杀人犯” 因其罪行受到审判。

But the squeamish man who took the stand seemed more like a dull bureaucrat

但出庭的那个神经质的人 看起来更像是一个迟钝的官僚，

than a sadistic killer.

而不是一个虐待狂的杀手。

The disparity between Eichmann’s nature and his actions

艾希曼的本性与行为之间的差异

was unsettling for many viewers,

令许多观众感到不安，

but for philosopher Hannah Arendt,

但对于哲学家汉娜·阿伦特 （Hannah Arendt）来说，

this contradiction inspired a disturbing revelation.

这种矛盾激发了一个令人不安的启示。

Arendt was a German Jew who fled her homeland in 1933

阿伦特是一名德国犹太人， 被德国秘密警察短暂监禁

after being briefly imprisoned by the German secret police.

后于1933年逃离家园。

As a refugee in France and then the United States,

作为法国和美国的难民，

she dedicated herself to understanding how the Nazi regime came to power,

她致力于了解纳粹政权是如何上台的，

and more specifically, how it inspired so many atrocities.

更具体地说，它是如何激发这么多暴行的。

A common opinion at the time was that the Third Reich was a historical oddity;

当时的普遍观点是， 第三帝国在历史上是个奇怪的东西；

a perfect storm of uniquely evil leaders

这是一场由德国公民支持的、

supported by German citizens looking for revenge

在第一次世界大战战败

after their defeat in World War I.

后寻求报复的独特邪恶领导人的完美风暴。

But Arendt believed the true conditions behind this unprecedented rise

但阿伦特认为， 这种前所未有的极权主义崛起

of totalitarianism weren’t specific to Germany.

背后的真正条件并不是德国所特有的。

Throughout the 1950s, Arendt developed a theory of the human condition

在整个 20 世纪50 年代， 阿伦特发展了一种人类状况理论，

that divided life into three facets:

将生活分为三个方面：

labor— in which we satisfy our material needs and desires;

劳动—— 我们满足物质需求和欲望；

work— in which we build the world’s physical and cultural infrastructure;

工作—— 我们在其中建设世界的物质和文化基础设施；

and action— in which we publicly articulate our values

以及行动—— 我们在行动中公开表达我们的价值观，

to collectively shape the world around us.

共同塑造我们周围的世界。

It was this last facet, the life of action,

阿伦特认为，正是这最后一个方面，

that Arendt believed was under attack,

即行动，在德国和许多其他工业化社会

both in Germany and many other industrialized societies.

都受到了攻击。

She saw modernity as an age ruled by labor,

她将现代性视为一个由劳动统治的时代，

where individuals mainly appear in the social world

在这个时代，个人主要出现在社交世界中

to produce and consume goods and services

生产和消费商品和服务，

rather than share ideas and shape communities.

而不是分享想法和塑造社区。

Arendt believed this had fostered societies and ideologies

阿伦特认为，这促进了社会和意识形态，

where individuals were seen only for their economic value,

在这种社会和意识形态中， 人们只看个人的经济价值，

rather than their moral and political capacities.

而不是他们的道德和政治能力。

She believed this isolated people from their neighbors and their sense of self.

她相信这使人们与邻居和自我意识隔离开来。

And in her 1951 book, “The Origins of Totalitarianism,”

阿伦特在她1951年的著作 《极权主义的起源》中指出，

Arendt argued these conditions provided fertile ground for totalitarian regimes,

这些条件为极权主义政权提供了肥沃的土壤，

which use fear and violence to increase isolation

极权主义政权利用恐惧和暴力来加剧孤立

and make it dangerous to publicly engage as freethinking political agents.

使公开参与成为 自由思想的政治代理人变得危险。

In this lonely state, participating in the regime

在这个孤独的国家，参与政权

becomes the only way to recover a sense of identity and community.

成为恢复认同感和社区意识的唯一途径。

Arendt believed it was this kind of environment

阿伦特认为，艾希曼就是

where Eichmann committed his crimes.

在这种环境下犯下罪行的。

Most people expected the Jewish German philosopher

大多数人期望这位德国犹太哲学家

to judge the ex-Nazi harshly.

严厉地评判前纳粹分子。

But while she condemned his monstrous actions,

但是，尽管她谴责了他的可怕行为，

Arendt saw no evidence that Eichmann himself was uniquely evil.

但阿伦特没有看到任何证据表明 艾希曼本人是独一无二的邪恶行径。

She saw him as a distinctly ordinary man who considered diligent obedience

她认为他是一个明显的普通人，

the highest form of civic duty.

他认为勤奋服从是公民义务的最高形式。

And for Arendt, it was exactly this ordinariness that was most terrifying.

对阿伦特来说，最可怕的正是这种平凡。

Her point wasn't just that anyone could do what Eichmann did,

她的观点不仅是任何人都可以像艾希曼那样做，

but that his story suggested ordinary people

而且他的故事表明普通百姓

could willingly accept their societal role—

可以心甘情愿地接受自己的社会角色——

even when it contributed to genocide.

即使这助长了种族灭绝。

Arendt called this phenomenon “the banality of evil,”

阿伦特称这种现象为“邪恶的平庸”，

and warned that it can emerge whenever society inhibits our ability to think;

并警告说，每当社会抑制我们的思维能力，

or more specifically, to question our beliefs and actions

或者更具体地说， 在自我反省的内部对话中

in a self-reflective internal dialogue.

质疑我们的信仰和行为时， 这种现象就会出现。

Arendt believed this kind of thinking is the only way to confront moral problems,

阿伦特认为，这种思维是 面对道德问题的唯一途径

and that our responsibility to self-reflect is especially important

当独立思想受到威胁时，

when independent thought is threatened.

我们的自我反思责任尤其重要。

She acknowledged that critical thinking in oppressive spaces

她承认，压迫性空间中的批判性思维

is a defiant act that requires personal courage.

是一种挑衅行为，需要个人勇气。

But it must be done regardless,

但无论如何都必须这样做，

which is why Arendt still held Eichmann accountable.

这就是阿伦特仍然追究艾希曼责任的原因。

This thread runs throughout Arendt's work,

这个话题贯穿了阿伦特的作品，

where she continually insisted that thinking was our greatest weapon

她一直坚持认为思维是我们

against the threats of modernity.

抵御现代性威胁的最大武器。

Namely, a relentless drive for economic and technological development

也就是说，不懈地推动经济和技术发展，

which would increase social alienation and inhibit human freedom.

这将加剧社会疏远并抑制人类自由。

To foster this essential value,

为了培育这一基本价值，

Arendt believed we need to create formal and informal forums

阿伦特认为， 我们需要创建正式和非正式的论坛，

that allowed for open conversations about shaping our collective future.

这使得我们能够就塑造 我们共同的未来进行公开对话。

These might include townhall meetings, self-governing workplaces,

其中可能包括市政厅会议、自治工作场所

or student unions.

或学生会。

But whatever shape they take,

但无论它们采取什么形式，

what’s most important to Arendt is that they value open dialogue

对阿伦特来说，最重要的是他们重视公开对话

and critical self-reflection.

和批判性的自我反省。