Fear and Lies Lead to Inhuman Success Tip: In light of Merton's essays, compare the role of fear and lies as destructive forces in society . Why does Merton consider them harmful? Illustrate your answer with examples from Merton and another author discussed in class after the midterm essay. Fear and lies led to widespread cruelty against the Jewish community such as the Holocaust and concentration camps such as Auschwitz. Outside of these horrible camps no one had any idea what was happening inside them because all activities were hidden by lies. The concentration camps were described as a beautiful home for the Jews, but the outside world knew little about it. Fear was a main component achieved by the workers because if orders were not followed, there would be consequences for their disobedience. Without the hidden secrets of the reality of these camps, they would not have been successful. Furthermore, if fear were not present, workers would be disobedient and rebel against those higher up. In Passion for Peace, by Thomas Merton, he demonstrates through several individuals the effects of fear and lies. The unity of fear and lies allowed the success of this terrible genocide of the Jewish community. These aspects are harmful because they erase a person's morals and values ​​and forces the newly brainwashed individual into inhuman or extraordinary actions. However, the American philosopher Martha Nussbaum describes the emphasis on dignity and this shows the negative effects of fear and lies and how these components are defined as harmful. The Auschwitz camp was so incredibly large and horrific that it was known as a “death factory.” The death rate of this camp ranged from three to four million people. Closely by…… half of the document……and immortality in the fields. Robert Mulka, one of the defendants, denied every little component of the camps such as the gas chambers, the furnaces and the murder of Jews. He claimed he knew nothing about what was going on. Mulka claims to have heard rumors about gas chambers and furnaces, but claims to have done nothing. At the end of the trial, the judge sentences him to life imprisonment but he opposes the decision and asks that he and the other defendants be understood in the circumstances in which they were locked up during the period of these camps. He states that he could do nothing but follow orders as there would be consequences if he rebelled. Throughout the entire trial, we see Mulka attempt to lie so as not to acknowledge his crimes but then confess to his actions, but he does so not for forgiveness but to save himself..