Varieties of German Guilt and Their Consequences: The Question of German Guilt, Karl Jaspers

Abstract

Abstract:Karl Jaspers considers four varieties of guilt—criminal, moral, metaphysical, and political—and whether Germans are collectively or individually guilty for the crimes of the Nazis. What influence did Jasper's thinking about guilt have on his former pupil Hannah Arendt? What was the impact of such thinking on the political development of Germany in the period after World War II and up to contemporary times?