OPINION | GWEN FORD FAULKENBERRY: The nature of evil |
Democrat-Gazette online
In Comp 2 we recently finished a series of readings by writers, mostly soldiers, from a swath of history stretching from the 1600s till now. They were mostly American, with a couple British and one Irish mixed in. After pouring over these texts, discussing and analyzing them, we watched the 2025 movie "Nuremburg" movie starring Russell Crowe, viewable on Netflix. It is based on the true story of Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley's interaction with Nazi leader Hermann Goring, Hitler's second in command, up to and during the Nuremberg Trials.
When he returned home, Dr. Kelley wrote a book about the experience. His conclusion was that Nazi war criminals were not unique in their depravity--not some special category of evil that cropped up in Germany under special circumstances--but that people like them exist everywhere. Kelley tried to promote his book but eventually became a pariah; there was public fascination with Goring, but Americans didn't like what Kelley had to say about the nature of evil.
In research for my class I read an article from the Smithsonian, found here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-story-behind-nuremberg-a-wwii-drama-about-hermann-gorings-cat-and-mouse-game-with-an-american-psychiatrist-180987621/
It said this about one of his public........