Authors: David R. Blumenthal
ISBN-13: 9780878407156, ISBN-10: 0878407154
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Date Published: April 1999
Edition: (Non-applicable)
People who helped exterminate Jews during the shoah (Hebrew for "holocaust") often claimed that they only did what was expected of them. Intrigued by hearing the same response from individuals who rescued Jews, David R. Blumenthal proposes that the notion of ordinariness used to characterize nazi evil is equally applicable to goodness. In this provocative book, Blumenthal develops a new theory of human behavior that identifies the social and psychological factors that foster both good and evil behavior.
Drawing on lessons primarily from the shoah but also from well-known obedience and altruism experiments, My Lai, and the civil rights movement, Blumenthal deftly interweaves insights from psychology, history, and social theory to create a new way of looking at human behavior. Blumenthal identifies the factorssocial hierarchy, education, and childhood disciplinethat shape both good and evil attitudes and actions.
Considering how our religious and educational institutions might do a better job of encouraging goodness and discouraging evil, he then makes specific recommendations for cultivating goodness in people, stressing the importance of the social context of education. He reinforces his ideas through stories, teachings, and case histories from the Jewish tradition that convey important lessons in resistance and goodness.
Appendices include the ethical code of the Israel Defense Forces, material on non-violence from the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center, a suggested syllabus for a Jewish elementary school, and a list of prosocial sources on the Web, as well as a complete bibliography.
If people can commit acts of evil without thinking, why can't even more commit acts of kindness? Writing with power and insight, Blumenthal shows readers of all faiths how we might replace patterns of evil with empathy, justice, and caring, and through a renewed attention to moral education, perhaps prevent future shoahs.
About the Author:
David R. Blumenthal is Jay and Leslie Cohen Professor of Judaic Studies in the Department of Religion at Emory University. Among his numerous other books are God at the Center (Harper & Row, 1988/Jason Aronson, 1994) and Facing the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest (Westminster/John Knox, 1993).
Drawing from his course, "The Problem of Evil: A Social Psychological Approach" at Emory University, Blumenthal combines Jewish tradition with insights from the social sciences to analyze the contrasting extremes of human behavior towards others. Then he discusses how to apply the analysis to the moral education of young children, describing methods and approaches that can be used in civil society as well as in faith-based institutions. Paper edition (unseen), $23.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)
Foreword | ||
1 | Roadmap | 1 |
Pt. 1 | The Descriptive-Analytic Task | 17 |
2 | The Field | 19 |
3 | Hierarchy and Role | 35 |
4 | Teaching and Praxis | 58 |
5 | Childhood Discipline and Personality | 84 |
Pt. 2 | The Prescriptive-Normative Task | 103 |
6 | Transition | 105 |
7 | The Affections and Value-Concepts of the Prosocial Life | 115 |
8 | Do This | 126 |
Pt. 3 | The Voice of Jewish Tradition | 141 |
9 | The Tradition and the Problem | 143 |
10 | Some Jewish Prosocial Value-Concepts | 149 |
11 | Stories of Resistance and Goodness | 168 |
12 | Teachings of Resistance and Goodness | 182 |
13 | Four Case Studies | 196 |
14 | Hierarchy, Authority, and Autonomy in Teaching Judaism | 221 |
Aftermatter | 229 | |
App. A | The New Ethical Code of the IDF | 231 |
App. B | The Ten Commandments of the Solomon Schechter Day School Community | 239 |
App. C | The 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action (The Einstein Institute) | 241 |
App. D | Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) | 245 |
App. E | Six Principles of Nonviolence (The King Center) | 247 |
App. F | List of Prosocial Resources on the Web | 249 |
App. G | Syllabus for "The Problem of Evil" | 252 |
App. H | Social Action Rabbinics Curriculum: Na'aseh ve-Nishma' | 256 |
App. I | Introduction to Holocaust and Human Behavior | 262 |
Notes | 265 | |
Selected Bibliography | 307 | |
Glossary | 315 | |
Subject Index | 317 | |
Source Index | 321 |