Moral Responsibility in the Holocaust: A Study in the Ethics of Character

by David H. Jones

In Moral Responsibility in the Holocaust, David H. Jones goes beyond historical and psychological explanations of the Holocaust to directly address the moral responsibility of individuals involved in it. While defending the view that individuals caught up in large-scale historical events like the Holocaust are still responsible for their choices, he provides the philosophical tools needed to assess the responsibility, both negative and positive, of perpetrators, accomplices, bystanders, victims, helpers, and rescuers.

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1999

Reviews

[Stephanie Pecaut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sought out this book because I wanted concrete answers to regarding

1) the question of german (bystander) guilt
2) to what extent are blame, responsibility, and prevention connected?

Per the first question, I found Karl Jaspers’ lectures to give an elegant framework, but was too abstract and perhaps too recent (1948) to have actually assigned moral blame and guilt. Jones gives not just his own thorough framework, but also applies it to groups ranging from the Jewish victims to Bystanders to Hitler and other perpetrators.

I found my second question surprisingly neatly wrapped up in the conclusion, where Jones outlines the three qualities needed to prevent future genocides, as informed by his study of moral blame and responsibility in The Holocaust.

My critiques are probably due to being an outsider to the philosophical community, but I found that Jones’ watertight method of analysis lead to so much repetition and gunk that detracted from what could’ve been a more elegant thesis.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a philosophy class from Dr. Jones at William & Mary and loved it. I didn't always agree with him, but he made a clear, logical case defining morality and responsibility at a high level (e.g. philosophically) and then applying it to specific cases in the context of the Holocaust.