Reading Reflection #2.docx - Nhat Anh Ngo Dan Professor...

Nhat Anh Ngo Dan
Professor McKiernan
PHIL 102: Moral Problems
April 13, 2018
Reading Reflection #2: Hell, for some, is Heaven for Totalitarianism
“Instead of producing a pacifism devoid of reality, the insight into the structure of modern
wars, guided and mobilized by fear, might have led to the realization that the only standard
for a necessary war is the fight against conditions under which people no longer wish to live –
and our experiences with the tormenting hell of the totalitarian camps have enlightened us
only too well about the possibility of such conditions (123).”
Totalitarian governments aim to impose absolute authority and control over all
aspects of life, even to the point of apprehending the human soul. Leaders in this format
strive to eliminate the behaviors associated with personality, thus reducing humans into
mere objects. This style of government is dedicated to control as fuel for its agenda and will
do so ruthlessly. An elite group is defined; it continuously implements terror to the extent