TE15 Lithuanian Honey Cake

Irena Veisaitė & Aurimas Švedas

me to think logically. Besides, much also comes down to chance events, and we have already spoken about some of those. How would you explain the causes of horrific things such as the Holocaust? There are generally two approaches: the apologists argue that, under certain circumstances, and especially during periods of want and misfortune, a small, average person is an easy target for various chauvinistic ideologies; those who support the second view argue that evil can only be explained using metaphysical categories. Personally, I often find that the sources of evil first of all lie within us. People are imperfect and are easily manipulated. They are easily infected by feelings of hatred and revenge. It is normal people who spread evil. The philosopher Hannah Arendt, who observed the Eichmann trial, spoke about the banality of evil. 19 She came to the conclusion that Eichmann, who directed the mass killing of Jews during the Holocaust, saw himself as a good German citizen; he felt no guilt and was a good son, husband, and father. Eichmann simply believed in Hitler’s ideas and obediently executed them. Zygmunt 19 Adolf Eichmann—one of the main masterminds and organisers of the Holocaust, Obersturmbannführer. Eichmann’s trial took place in Jerusalem and began on May 31, 1961. The trial sentenced him to death on December 15, 1961; Eichmann was executed on June 1, 1962. Reference to Hannah Arendt’s book Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (1963).

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