Vessels of Evil: American Slavery and the Holocaust

by Laurence Mordekhai Thomas (Author)

5 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-1566391009

ISBN-10: 1566391008

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Two profound atrocities in the history of Western culture form the subject of this moving philosophical exploration: American Slavery and the Holocaust. An African American and a Jew, Laurence Mordekhai Thomas denounces efforts to place the suffering of one group above the other. Rather, he pronounces these two defining historical experiences as profoundly evil in radically different ways and points to their logically incompatible aims.

The author begins with a discussion of the nature of evil, exploring the fragility of human beings and the phenomena of compartmentalizing, unquestioning obedience to authority, and moral drift. Citing compelling examples from history and contemporary life, he characterizes evil acts in terms of moral agency, magnitude, and intent.

With moving testimony, Thomas depicts the moral pain of African Americans and Jews during their ordeals and describes how their past as victims has affected their future. Without invidious comparison, he distinguishes between extermination and domination, death and natal alienation, physical and mental cruelty, and between being viewed as irredeemable evil and as a moral simpleton. Thomas also considers the role of blacks and Jews in the Christian narrative.

In Vessels of Evil, Thomas also considers the ways Jews and blacks have gone on to survive. He analyzes the relative flourishing of Jews and the languishing of blacks in this country and examines the implications of their dissimilar tragedies on any future relationship between these two minorities.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This text is an admirably lucid and cogently argued comparison of two profoundly evil institutions, one that recognizes the differences between the Jewish and African American experiences of oppression without offering invidious comparisons.... An important and engrossing book."
—Publishers Weekly

"...a readable, even absorbing philosophical examination of the many faces of evil....This study deserves a wide readership."
—Library Journal

"This rich and interesting work is an important contribution to the philosophical study of moral psychology. Although a number of philosophers have explored moral issues raised by the Holocaust or by American Slavery, so far as I know, Thomas is the first important philosopher to undertake a large-scale comparison of the two."
—David Blumenthal, Professor of Philosophy, Georgia State University

From the Publisher

A philosopher examines the moral evils visited upon African Americans and Jews

Paperback: 211 pages
Publisher: Temple University Press (October 13, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1566391008
ISBN-13: 978-1566391009
Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 6.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 5 customer ratings
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #876,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #909 in Ethics
- #411 in Philosophy of Good & Evil
- #496 in Slavery & Emancipation History

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4 star		32%
3 star		40%
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Phil Hurwitz

Thought provoking

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2019

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It was a difficult read though. Sometimes I just didn't see what he was writing about was making his point.

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John Young

Great read for anyone interested in Philosophy.

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2014

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A great comparison between the holocaust and American slavery that opens your eyes to the unique differences. Additionally, he uniquely describes degrees of evil using the holocaust and American Slavery.The author being both an African American and a Jew gives.him an interesting perspective that he employs throught the book.

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Harvey S. Cohen

Profound and illuminating discourse on how ordinary people come to do evil

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2008

Vessels of Evil examines how ordinary people come to do evil. The book uses two enormous and well-documented cases in point-- American slavery and the Holocaust. (A few clueless individuals have objected to "comparisons" between the two cases. Had they actually read the book, they would appreciate the author's clear and extensive disclaimer that these are two outstanding cases in which many ordinary people came to do evil, and that no other similarity between the two cases is expressed or implied. One can only role one's eyes and shrug upon reading such misguided reviews.)
Prof. Thomas's writing is lucid and graceful, and I found his reasoning and conclusions generally compelling. It is a short book, but (as my son remarked on his first experience with a serious work of philosophy) "you have to read every word." It does not reward skimming.

2 people found this helpful

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Harvey S. Cohen

A credible and elegantly presented theory of human good and evil

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2008

Prof. Thomas uses the two most notable and best-documented recent cases in which ordinary people came to do extraordinary evil-- American Slavery and the Holocaust-- to illuminate his theory of human good and evil. Thanks to the author's lucid, graceful prose and careful exposition, the book is about as easy a read as any serious work of philosophy could be. The theory itself is credible and appealing and has important real-world implications.

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Stephen T. Wishnevsky

A Canard

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2007

One simple bit of data disproves this book. No one has ever claimed that the population of Africa decreased due to the depredations of the slave trade, but the population of Ireland was 8,000,000 in 1848, and is now just over 4,000,000. That is genocide. The slave trade was a brutal, callous, inhuman commercial transaction, that eventually created a vital new population in a New World.

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Vessels of Evil: American Slavery and the Holocaust

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