The Hand of Compassion

Portraits of Moral Choice during the Holocaust

Nonfiction, History, Jewish, Holocaust, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book The Hand of Compassion by Kristen Renwick Monroe, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kristen Renwick Monroe ISBN: 9781400849574
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: October 31, 2013
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Kristen Renwick Monroe
ISBN: 9781400849574
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: October 31, 2013
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Through moving interviews with five ordinary people who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, Kristen Monroe casts new light on a question at the heart of ethics: Why do people risk their lives for strangers and what drives such moral choice? Monroe's analysis points not to traditional explanations--such as religion or reason--but to identity. The rescuers' perceptions of themselves in relation to others made their extraordinary acts spontaneous and left the rescuers no choice but to act. To turn away Jews was, for them, literally unimaginable. In the words of one German Czech rescuer, "The hand of compassion was faster than the calculus of reason."

At the heart of this unusual book are interviews with the rescuers, complex human beings from all parts of the Third Reich and all walks of life: Margot, a wealthy German who saved Jews while in exile in Holland; Otto, a German living in Prague who saved more than 100 Jews and provides surprising information about the plot to kill Hitler; John, a Dutchman on the Gestapo's "Most Wanted List"; Irene, a Polish student who hid eighteen Jews in the home of the German major for whom she was keeping house; and Knud, a Danish wartime policeman who took part in the extraordinary rescue of 85 percent of his country's Jews.

We listen as the rescuers themselves tell the stories of their lives and their efforts to save Jews. Monroe's analysis of these stories draws on philosophy, ethics, and political psychology to suggest why and how identity constrains our choices, both cognitively and ethically. Her work offers a powerful counterpoint to conventional arguments about rational choice and a valuable addition to the literature on ethics and moral psychology. It is a dramatic illumination of the power of identity to shape our most basic political acts, including our treatment of others.

But always Monroe returns us to the rescuers, to their strong voices, reminding us that the Holocaust need not have happened and revealing the minds of the ethically exemplary as they negotiated the moral quicksand that was the Holocaust.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Through moving interviews with five ordinary people who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, Kristen Monroe casts new light on a question at the heart of ethics: Why do people risk their lives for strangers and what drives such moral choice? Monroe's analysis points not to traditional explanations--such as religion or reason--but to identity. The rescuers' perceptions of themselves in relation to others made their extraordinary acts spontaneous and left the rescuers no choice but to act. To turn away Jews was, for them, literally unimaginable. In the words of one German Czech rescuer, "The hand of compassion was faster than the calculus of reason."

At the heart of this unusual book are interviews with the rescuers, complex human beings from all parts of the Third Reich and all walks of life: Margot, a wealthy German who saved Jews while in exile in Holland; Otto, a German living in Prague who saved more than 100 Jews and provides surprising information about the plot to kill Hitler; John, a Dutchman on the Gestapo's "Most Wanted List"; Irene, a Polish student who hid eighteen Jews in the home of the German major for whom she was keeping house; and Knud, a Danish wartime policeman who took part in the extraordinary rescue of 85 percent of his country's Jews.

We listen as the rescuers themselves tell the stories of their lives and their efforts to save Jews. Monroe's analysis of these stories draws on philosophy, ethics, and political psychology to suggest why and how identity constrains our choices, both cognitively and ethically. Her work offers a powerful counterpoint to conventional arguments about rational choice and a valuable addition to the literature on ethics and moral psychology. It is a dramatic illumination of the power of identity to shape our most basic political acts, including our treatment of others.

But always Monroe returns us to the rescuers, to their strong voices, reminding us that the Holocaust need not have happened and revealing the minds of the ethically exemplary as they negotiated the moral quicksand that was the Holocaust.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Making Human Rights a Reality by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Legitimacy and Power Politics by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Democratic Faith by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book ISIS by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Why Size Matters by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Game of Loans by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book The War for Afghanistan: A Very Brief History by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Amazing Arachnids by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Authorizing Marriage? by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Tradition and the Formation of the Talmud by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book The Brain and the Meaning of Life by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book A Way Out by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Gamma by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book Getting Respect by Kristen Renwick Monroe
Cover of the book The Litigation State by Kristen Renwick Monroe
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy