The 20th century is coming to an end, and we are all tempted to wonder: what place will it hold in history? How will we remember it tomorrow? Like everyone, I do not know the answers to these questions; but I am certain that one invention of the 20th century will remain etched in our memory: the camps of totalitarianism.

We have discovered the extreme political regime, totalitarianism, and its extreme manifestation, the concentration camps. This macabre institution lends itself to all kinds of historical, political, and psychological commentary. What I write here, with a personal inquiry into the narratives, is different: it relates to morality.

Contrary to a widespread prejudice, moral life did not extinguish in the camps; quite the opposite: we could base a daily morality suited to our era on the experience of the camps.