Vessels Of Evil Pb
by Laurence Mordekhai Thomas
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Book Summary Information
Author: Laurence Mordekhai ThomasEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1993-10-13
ISBN: 1566391008
Number of pages: 232
Publisher: Temple University Press
Book Reviews of Vessels Of Evil Pb
Book Review: Profound and illuminating discourse on how ordinary people come to do evil
Summary: 5 Stars
Vessels of Evil examines how ordinary people come to do evil. The book uses two enormous and well-documented cases in point-- American slavery and the Holocaust. (A few clueless individuals have objected to "comparisons" between the two cases. Had they actually read the book, they would appreciate the author's clear and extensive disclaimer that these are two outstanding cases in which many ordinary people came to do evil, and that no other similarity between the two cases is expressed or implied. One can only role one's eyes and shrug upon reading such misguided reviews.)
Prof. Thomas's writing is lucid and graceful, and I found his reasoning and conclusions generally compelling. It is a short book, but (as my son remarked on his first experience with a serious work of philosophy) "you have to read every word." It does not reward skimming.
Summary of Vessels Of Evil Pb
Two profound atrocities in the history of Western culture form the subject of this moving philosophical exploration: American Slavery and the Holocaust. An African American and a Jew, Laurence Mordekhai Thomas denounces efforts to place the suffering of one group above the other. Rather, he pronounces these two defining historical experiences as profoundly evil in radically different ways and points to their logically incompatible aims. The author begins with a discussion of the nature of evil, exploring the fragility of human beings and the phenomena of compartmentalizing, unquestioning obedience to authority, and moral drift. Citing compelling examples from history and contemporary life, he characterizes evil acts in terms of moral agency, magnitude, and intent. With moving testimony, Thomas depicts the moral pain of African Americans and Jews during their ordeals and describes how their past as victims has affected their future. Without invidious comparison, he distinguishes between extermination and domination, death and natal alienation, physical and mental cruelty, and between being viewed as irredeemable evil and as a moral simpleton. Thomas also considers the role of blacks and Jews in the Christian narrative. In "Vessels of Evil", Thomas also considers the ways Jews and blacks have gone on to survive. He analyzes the relative flourishing of Jews and the languishing of blacks in this country and examines the implications of their dissimilar tragedies on any future relationship between these two minorities. Laurence Mordekhai Thomas, Professor of Philosophy and Political Science Affiliate at Syracuse University, is also the author of "Living Morally" (Temple).History Books
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