Primo Levi

"Only a profound amazement: how can one hit a man without anger?". I don't know whether it is because I'm currently in the process of reading Weber but on many levels, this seems to be referring to the structure of bureaucracy. Weber writes; "The content of discipline is nothing but the consistently rationalized, methodically trained and exact execution of the received order in which all personal criticism is unconditionally suspended and the actor is unswervingly and exclusively set for carrying out the command". In many ways, this made me think about what happens when rationalization and methodical thinking to its absolute extreme. The ability of the Nazi regime to set up a bureaucracy that was single mindedly devoted to the cause of 'fascism' and the extermination of people is incredible. And there is something to be said about the human capacity for causing suffering. Levi shows that, pushed far enough, the idea of causing pain no longer holds the moral/ethical implications - but more than that, it no longer holds the very real human implications either. This, to me, is incredible.