Week 7 Thursday 11th November.

Totalitarianism and Phemonology

A Definition of Phemonology: 'why is there something rather than nothing'
Before we can think about a set of ideas for example religious ideas, we first have to think about what religion is and why it is a thing.

Hannah Arendt
Hannah was a 20th century writer who was associated with communism who wrote during the Holocaust.

Hannah's Ideas

• She thought that World War 2 was too horrific to talk about
• She strongly believed that people should think for themselves
• Her idea 'The Benality of Evil' came about after the trial of Eichman. He was a man involved with the Holocaust; he claims that he was just doing his job. He claimed that he followed Kant's theories of duty and so by following this he was just obeying the duty laws. Hannah said that collaboration is death therefor he did murder.
• She emphasized that we must think and do for ourselves and not obey others.

History of the Time
There were four main stages in the German genocide;

1. Lock them in a building and set it on fire so that they burn to death
2. Deport them to Siberia and then move them onto holding camps
3. Shoot them in the street
4. Work them to death in labour camps and if this was not quick enough they would be rounded into gas chambers

The whole system was used as commercial exploitation from peoples hair being used in the production of fabric, gold from teeth was used as currency and calcium from bones.

Hannah believed that the Holocaust was the fault of EVERYONE. From the train drivers to the cooks.