The Banality of Evil, Technocrats and Salience Frames | Hannah Arendt’s “Eichmann in Jerusalem”

This video looks at Hannah Arendt’s book, Eichmann in Jerusalem, as an origin of the term “banality of evil”. It applies it to technocrats more broadly using a salience frame model.
Image credits:
Eichmann_at_trial: www.flickr.com/photos/hunting...
Attribution: Image by The Huntington on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/hunting...
Hannah-Arendt_1:commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Image author attribution: Barbara Niggl Radloff (1936-2010) commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cr...
Wannsee Conference Image author & link: A.Savin commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Roman Governor image: © Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

[@calmstro]

Brilliant presentation of the brilliant and wise Hannah Arendt! That our managerial elites can throw around “the banality of evil” as a slogan or status signal while thinking and behaving just like Eichmann shows just how important salience is to cognition.

[@proplay1212]

Your channel is so under-subbed ... they will come! You cover the MOST important topics in today's society w such a great "frame"!

[@AbidNasim]

she's is a pioneer.

[@randygraham926]

An extraordinary book that I read years ago. Glad to see you revisiting important books from decades ago rather than just staying with more contemporary writing. I recommended your review of the Peter Turchin book to a couple of people who probably aren't going to read it, but would like to understand his theories on history and political crisis. Thank you for your time and effort. 🐼

[@nsbd90now]

"The problem with Little Eichmanns is there are so many of them."

[@eliaslyman9256]

great video and honest exploration of topics that feel deafening yet ignored.

[@sk8l8now]

Great analysis and great information as always! It's wonderful to see a confluence of ideas and disciplines here, even if the terms are different the function remains. Shows the deep analysis we need to get out of the limits of the hyper specialized world we're in, without the baggage associated with those communities. As a psychologist who works with ML, it's refreshing to see someone talk about systems (social and personal) and attention (Salience Frames) in such a practical way. Thank you again and please don't stop!

[@andrewwoods8153]

Thanks Ashley, the salience equation is so relevant for today and in the 80s where the switching of "hats" was a device of obfuscating any relevance or responsibility for actions or directives or policies between points of view that one might hold between job, community and personal attitudes and opinions and actions. Not to mention, "Greed is good," "free market capitalism ". Prior to that was the Conservative, and theological destruction in the Religious fields through Evangelical, Pentecostal and Wealth reward philosophy's and theology switching from notions of service and care balances within practiced personal and community living. While many resisted such thinking ; when a larger number of existers (people concerned with the stresses and provision of short term and longer-term life viability) quite reasonably so, just fell in line with the weight of manipulated thinking of the power and wealth elites. What worries me is that what has been challenging in my lifetime, is infinitely more challenging and destructive on so many new fronts for coming generations, as personal and community sacrifice in pursuit of social justice and equity climbs onto a far far more world widespread stage.

[@iannmiller]

Ashley you nailed this one, great essay!

[@richardv.2475]

If there is something sinful in the enlightenment, then I'd say it's this view that humans are rational, free, moral beings who have their connections to god and can freely chose between good and evil. I mean if Eichmann is guilty, then what are the people in all the boardrooms in all the transnational corporations who worked very hard in all their lives to get into this bubble where they are completely isolated from any kind of inconvenience and their only remaining responsibility is following orders in the smart way? What are those people who are lining up before the HR offices to get a shot to get a seat there, who probably would take the job of organizing any kind of "evacuation" at a large scale just to have a shiny entry in their CVs? If one is lucky enough and gets the right orders or one is lucky enough to not to get the job then he is a saint? If one is chosen but gets the wrong orders then he is the evil? This is a very ridiculous moral position that punishes individuals for the sins of systems that are way powerful than him.

[@alanmcbride6658]

A fine comment Rich.

[@artemisXsidecross]

We are the system 'get off the bus'

[@lucyferos205]

Much of human behavior is socially conditioned or a product of our environment. Does that mean nobody can be culpable for their actions? I don't think so

[@gregalden1101]

Thanks! For this and all videos in your catalog, content I can think about all day.

[@ivanidso9491]

Great video Ashley!

[@kevinrung4178]

Nice job on this video. You have actually done a better job on this work or Arents' than anyone else on KZbin!

[@vagabondcaleb8915]

Man, I'd sure like to hear her talk to Daniel Schmachtenberger. This channel is so great :)

[@justme-hh4vp]

Thanks for mentioning him. His name was mentioned to me months ago and i was trying to remember it to look him up!

[@vagabondcaleb8915]

Excellent!

[@sleethmitchell]

most modern atrocities occur after tasks are compartmentalized. which is the purposeful extraction of a part from the whole. this is how lynchings occur. this is how mankind will meet its end. with the willing cooperation of all its victims.

[@northstar92]

Not all

[@superresistant0]

what's a "modern atrocity"?

[@rowmen]

I just love your videos. They always get me thinking :)

[@marthaking6779]

Wow. So well and clearly done and thank you so much for the illumination.

[@johnkoester1733]

A very thought provoking essay. I have met many people who aspire to be in leadership positions that it seems their idea of correct social management is an ideal vision of social management that benefits all. Exactly who this 'all' is more to the tune of 'everyone has their position to obediently fill in society, and everyone is responsible for their own success or misery.

[@mxc2272]

Thank you. This is so relavent today. History does repeat.

[@lenorefoxmoor9985]

Rhymes of Time🙌

[@whatwilliswastalkingabout]

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this video and appreciate your hard work. Thank you!

[@lenorefoxmoor9985]

🎈Brilliant presentation. Thank you for posting🙌☀️

[@bmobert]

Nicely done. Thank you.

[@benjones1717]

So basically he was callous. But all cruel people are callous, even when they are angry they fail to feel the hurt they cause. It just seems that sadism and learned helplessness are a very modern pairing.

[@ResurgentVoice]

Just found your channel and subbed! The algorithm looked favorably upon me and granted me access to your wisdom! Your channel deserves more subs! I read Arendt in undergrad and visited the death camps after university. Elie Wiesel’s Night was the first text I taught when I became a high school teacher. That was back in the early 2000’s. I taught about this when we were being lied into Iraq in a course on Mass Media. But even with the Patriot Act and all the lies of the George W. era, I could never fully believe we would ever be where we are today! I started openly talking about the Republican party’s embrace of the fascist playbook back in 2015, but I kept thinking, there are adults in the room. It won’t come to that. But at every step of the way, the adults in the room were blindsided or willfully blinded by their inability to contemplate the reality in front of their faces. This latest Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity has made me realize more than anything else that we actually may not avoid repeating history. Teaching as many people as possible how to think critically is one of our few defenses! Thank you for your hard work!

[@iExamineLife]

Thank you, a book I know of but not read, now it's on my reading list 🙏

[@darrenkoch1718]

This is brilliant! Thank you for this, Ashley. Is there any way to access this lecture in a written document. It deserves wider circulation.

[@jerrypeters1157]

Wow. This presentation was incredibly well done, providing clarity for a complex subject.. An enormously heavy subject like this deserves full attention and contemplation - a salience frame of its own worth testing in our own political and employment environment.

[@edgarjones6824]

Brilliant stuff, a really well constructed piece. So glad the algaeridims sent this my way. Unfortunately I'm rather depressed and found the section on pavolivian withdrawal and how it breaks down in sufferers of depression most enlightening. If you ever feel like expanding on this I'd be most keen to hear it. No matter, I'll look fwd to whatever you come up with I'm sure. Meanwhile I'll subscribe and take a dive into your archive. Thanks for sharing your insight

[@AbidNasim]

@thenewenlightenmentwithash8465, seeking a dubbing license: may I dub some of your videos, especially this one, into Urdu and publish on my channel or your channel?

[@kristinmeyer489]

This is an excellent video, which also explains societal shifts over relatively short periods of time (as manifestations of will), in context of comparison. For example, women's rights...

[@northstar92]

Might there be consequences of an overbroad salience frame?

[@SelfieKumarJi]

We really don't know what Eichman said on the stand since he was kept inside a sound proof booth. Only the translated version of what he said was made public.

[@georgesamaras2922]

The covid parallels are STUNNING

[@jonathantrautman]

Thank you so much for doing this!

[@scooble]

Ironic that a system level thinker examines the book of a system level thinker about another system level thinker responsible for one of the worst atrocities in history.

[@jdjones4825]

The area that is now called Germany has had generations of war trauma , that , IMO influenced the mindset of these people. a lot of areas in the world are still experiencing a similar situation.. as you all already know..

[@lotijuay]

On the role of language in pavlovian withdrawal I think a useful book is Cultish by Amanda Montell. Its focus is on cults and the role that language plays inside them. I think is a very interesting book in the same subjects areas from this channel (her latest book is about magical thinking and biases, I have not read it yet, but sounds really intriguing)

[@Sheeshening]

Haven’t finished the video yet, however salience is afaik not an endogenously focused phenomenon, quite the opposite, as her examples illustrate, the children’s stuff doesn’t become more salient because one really chooses so, but because the focused utility becomes more apparent practically on its own. Salience comes from sal like salt, ie it’s perceptible or tasty. This is really rather not a matter of agency.

[@evanhadkins5532]

I think even if Eichmann was motivated by hot hatred, that Arendt's point still applies - even can be just stamping a piece of paper.

[@AbidNasim]

Profound!

[@bluj78]

I remember a Coca-Cola representative being interviewed during the Olympics in the uk. He was pressed on whether he would encourage his daughter to drink a can per day "as part of a balanced diet". He said it would be fine. You don't have to look to the horrific to see the banality of evil in action; there's plenty in the mundane, particularly at this point in time.

[@artemisXsidecross]

I like the similarity you made about banality and our own implications while making our own every day decisions. Hindsight should not have to keep us from making the ethical decision with foresight.The real evil of banality is how easily it is to be caught up in it while in our definition of modernity. I recently read ‘We Are Free to Change the World’ by Lyndsey Stonebridge about Hannah Arendt and her work and life and might be helpful with this discussion.

[@user-zh1th8sz2l]

Enough about Hannah Arendt. She's not that heavyweight an intellect. There's just not that much there there. I'm sure there are scores of worshipful biographies about her already. As far as the banality of evil goes, it pretty's simple, just don't have anything to do with anything evil and refuse to participate, and you're good. Problem solved. But you might get fired, or somehow miss out, so there is that. That's too much for most people, and so they allow themselves to be complicit in whatever iniquity they may be a party to, after all they got bills to pay. Heck for most folks momentary embarrassment is too much for them to handle and so they look the other way. But it's pretty easy to figure out the right thing to do. It's just whether you got the stomach for it or not....

[@artemisXsidecross]

@@user-zh1th8sz2l I am not as jaded and enjoy good writing about another good writer who has helped shaped my understanding of the gestalt where I find myself.

[@yucelyalim6946]

Great title

[@johnduffin9425]

The USA today is 1930’s Germany in so many ways

[@cliveadams7629]

And it's almost certain to end up in much the same place. The machinery is virtually complete, the judiciary is now a political tool, the media is fully owned and the civil service isn't far behind. When they have the military, it's all over for democracy in the US.

[@notsoancientpelican]

this

[@artemisXsidecross]

I would add Italy, Spain, and Japan as well.

[@Sheeshening]

It’s actually much more like the 20s

[@cliveadams7629]

@@Sheeshening I think you're a lot closer to your kristallnaght than you think.

[@gregalden1101]

Recently, I have been watching videos about ex- Muslims that offer insight into life, where things we think of as unacceptable are normalized. Example: talking to friends about what to do after school; go shopping at the gallery or to the plaza to watch the daily beheadings.

[@binder946]

the same is going on now.

[@Astroponicist]

In terms of population growth we have developing technology in space engineering that will soon open the way to rapid mass migration to Luna & Mars initially. This creates an imperative to engage in system design for government in these locations. That process has begun in the new movement towards 'Space Law' more work will have to be done soon as all of the work so far has been done regarding work done in space by countries & institutions here on Earth. No work that I know of to date has covered the need for government as these expected migrations begin to happen.

[@whatabouttheearth]

You may benefit from studying Earth Systems Sciences and Ecology a bit, at least community and population ecology of soils, and photosythesis. Projects like ARTEMIS will take an extremely long amount of time to create a system that is habitable for larger populations.

[@whatabouttheearth]

You may benefit from studying Earth Systems Sciences and Ecology a bit, at least community and population ecology of soils, and photosythesis. Projects like ARTEMIS will take an extremely long amount of time to create a system that is habitable for larger populations.

[@pedrob3953]

Beware of anyone who's overly proud of "getting things done" -- as an end of itself. They thrive especially in corporate environments. Unscrupulous and ambitious executives rely on these people to do their dirty work.

[@kristinmeyer489]

22:21 Imo this is where they sell their soul to the proverbial devil in compromise with their humanity.

[@kristinmeyer489]

5:10 Using a clearly evil example from the past as both barometer of social change in the modern era post WWII, as well as a point-by-point analysis: 1) Manson didn't lay a hand on anyone, either. Did not excuse his intentions nor impact from his actions, which fed the intended result. 2) (Same example throughout): None of the Manson Family personally knew any of the people they obsessively targeted and slaughtered. If one doesn't know their target, it can't be personal from the satellites sent to do the bidding of the leader. This is a function of allegiance and groupthink, as well as adrenaline and other things. 3) So... because the leader says it's ok/acceptable to slaughter innocent people because it had already been agreed upon... and this made it right/moral/just? In a WAR scenario, perhaps... but not on innocent civilians. This was, AND CURRENTLY IS a functional abdication of personal responsibility TO THE GROUP/MACHINE. 4) This is where society is today, and it is not the fault of those they target anymore now than it EVER was.

[@kristinmeyer489]

12:18 Like destroyjng a country from within?

[@binder946]

similar things are happening now in palestine now the genocided people land is sold at realtors in US 😢

[@scooble]

56:43 "What horrible things I had to watch in the pursuance of my duties" - Himler "We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children." - Sum Wun Oranother.

[@raleighsmalls4653]

And absolute power corrupts absolutely. Blah, blah, blah. "I'd prefer not too..."

[@bobtarmac1828]

Talk about the banality of evil. Is it too late to cease Ai? Will everyone be… laid off by Ai? Suffering Ai jobloss for years? Swell robotics doing everything? Then everyone made slaves for an Ai new world order?

[@dadsonworldwide3238]

By placing deterministic simplicity & unification here you push infinite sums of complexity there. This Is specifically the assyrian meglamanic syncrabs anylitical cosmogony . It is anylitical over time lines of measure prescribing realism over anti realism alignment with pergatory doctorine curriculum and medichi economics under a dualistic order of rule structural alignment that's happened over and over . One that the founders cut out & refused 70yrs after newton Belgium adoption of babylonian cosmogony structural alignment cog in the wheel anylitical disorder. It's just before when the Bible was written 1st temple mosaic commandments triality of self solomonaic flame smothered by dualistic devine right to rule forced cosmogony economics and curriculum It's Athens greece cog in the wheel wokism arguing over giving animals voting rignts while macro to micro atomized babylonian cosmogony structural alignment was usurped by king Phillip who adopted dualistic top down rule devine right. It's 1700s-1800s esoterica America who knew all this refused the European dualistic models and solutions while having an affinity but invoking a specific theological thread of phylosphy that's x,y,z manmade time hierarchy knowledge of good evil equations like Shakespeare king James English recognition of dualistic minds judging thermodynamical systems in the biblical judgment choose 3 lines of measure eqaulibrium balanced precision instruments tuned with curses and blessings standardized weights and measure in market place plus longitude and latitude and nature oreintation and direction that Is ( pragmatic common sense objectivism proper) It is metamorphosis In reverse textualism methodology objectivism = technological advancements with Free flow of information education that recognition of the babylonian evolutionary cosmogony is roots to all whataboutism nilhisms

[@jayduquette6433]

Take note Israel

[@Liphted]

Economist are the villains because they think their hobby is an actual discipline. Btw you got a beautiful British Peasant Physiognomy. It's wild.

[@phyarth8082]

Eichmann = "A joiner" nice description. Eichmann was let say mediocre intellectually he had "gang mentality", he tried unsuccessfully join freemasons but only N@zi party allowed join him, that is person who likes uniform and dissolve in masses as invisible member, faceless conformal SS uniform wearing technocrat. Looting based on that notion that in numbers crimes dissolves in faceless crowd, war crimes also invading army have zero responsibility and can do what they want. Footage of Wehrmacht soldiers shoot villagers in Ukraine and Belarus who punish them and who could stop them? Same with intellectual free thinking to have own thoughts, own opinion, own independent argument on fact can be seen arrogant is a smallest sin possible. You can be seen as, narcissistic, inflated ego who could not operate normally in as normal member of society, where everyone play by rules (at least they say that). I think :) some chaos some unconformity needed to democracy stay healthy. All stability of conformity ends in stagnation of nation.

[@SFDestiny]

you flounder to explain technocracy. for your purposes simply say a technocrat is a bureaucrat hired for technical expertise

[@klovvin]

Here comes the most kindergarten level explanation you ever heard

[@kewba11]

"... was hanged" not "hung"

[@jonathantrautman]

and sneaked right not snuck grammatik macht frei much

[@SFDestiny]

it's hanged because the action is done to him. "I hanged the picture, and it hung there nicely." transitive vs intransitive 😉 whereas, "We hung out," follows a different rule because the use is colloquial... these days at issue is clarity. if I say, "They hung him," will it be understood? assuredly, yes.

[@pipe2devnull]

I'm trying to remember what they call people who are picky about grammar.. Grammar Natters, Grammar Pikzies ..

[@douteurhenrydickson3354]

There is no such thing as evil

[@AbidNasim]

humans have capacity to do good or bad; I understand evil as a result of too much bad, accumulation of bad, extreme bad accumulated over time or at a extraordinary scale, etc.

[@douteurhenrydickson3354]

@@AbidNasim These are old, religious terms, still useful for organizing life - but we remain at the individual level - it is not necessary to change the old vocabulary but we also need other words to designate the financial, industrial, political powers that abuse their powers to crush the weak - and boast of it - opposing them makes you enter dangerous territory because they are ruthless merciless heartless pitiless like the oppressiveness of a military occupation

[@artemisXsidecross]

@@douteurhenrydickson3354 Language has always been a slippery slope

[@jordan3636]

There is evil because there is good. Evil is in things that will kill us or addictive drugs and good lies within things that are flavorful and satisfying. Its a kind of abstract dualism thing imo. The same with people. Fundamentally i think the core of ethics is based around natural law and stuff like the golden rule(do to others that you wish to be done to you), if you wish to not die, but kill someone else not in self defense you've clearly created a imbalance, being that you have to assume that other is someone who has the same living organism concept as self preservation which is basically imbued in every living thing through the crucible of evolution. Some groups of people do have a great sense of the golden rule and this is based on intelligence and evoltuion, because generally people with higher iq have better sense of empathy than someone who is like 80-90 iq which is why stupid people are inherently evil and will kill us all and have the potential to even pull us all down to global anarchy. Another thing about the golden rule is that its a very symmetrical kind of idea that is emergent probably on any possible planrt in the entire universe, humans prefer and seek out symmetry.

[@northstar92]

"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him." Fyodor Dostoevsky

[@Northstar.131]

Bullshit