Understanding Evil Deeds in Human Terms: Empathy for the Perpetrators, the Dead Victims, and the Ethics of Being the Afterlife

Abstract This essay concerns what it means to historicize evil in an ethically responsible way: that is, think and narrate perpetrators victims of through is testified told about them. I show a gaze can only be recognized by allowing ourselves addressed the dead victims. The argument consists existential critique set common ideas human sciences, which suggest we must attempt empathize with order understand their deeds terms. empathetic thought, suggest, easily leads us either aestheticize or evils our history should as metaphysical susceptibility internal being human. By critically discussing these ideas, empathy for several respects does injustice victims, marks afterlife continue have irresponsible relationship dead.