Christians after Christendom: Our Present Challenge. RSVP

Stay informed of news and upcoming events.

Reading Groups

January Intern Reading Group: The Dangers of the Unexamined Life

2325 Rayburn House Office Building
View on Map →

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.” — Hannah Arendt

Please join us for the first meeting of the Faith & Law House Intern Reading Group on Thursday, January 23rd from noon to 1:00 p.m. in 2325 Rayburn House Office Building to talk about the dangers of the unexamined life. We will be discussing some short excerpts from Hannah Arendt’s account of the trial of Adolf Eichmann: the man tasked by Nazi Germany with managing the logistics for the mass deportations to ghettos and concentration camps.

Here’s a small sample of the reading:

Evil in the Third Reich had lost the quality by which most people recognize it - the quality of temptation. Many Germans and many Nazis, probably an overwhelming majority of them, must have been tempted not to murder, not to rob, not to let their neighbors go off to their doom … and not to become accomplices in all these crimes by benefiting from them. But, God knows, they had learned how to resist temptation.

The full reading should only take five minutes but even if you don’t have time to read in advance you should be able to follow along with our discussion of the text. *Lunch is provided, but please bring your own drink.* Also, feel free to invite a friend or colleague!