Hannah Arendt Flashcards
When was ‘The Human Condition’ published?
1958
What are the three forms of activity that are fundamental to the human condition?
Labour, work, and action.
What is the meaning of ‘labour’ as one of the three forms of activity that are fundamental to the human condition?
It corresponds to the biological life of man as an animal
What is the meaning of ‘work’ as one of the three forms of activity that are fundamental to the human condition?
The act of ‘making’ something, e.g. a craftsman.It corresponds to the artificial world of objects that human beings build upon the earth.
What is the meaning of ‘action’ as one of the three forms of activity that are fundamental to the human condition?
It corresponds to our plurality as distinct individuals.
What is Arendt’s one-line analysis of totalitarianism?
A nihilistic process propelled by a paradoxical combination of convictions: the belief that ‘everything is possible’ and the belief that human are just an animal species governed by the laws of nature or history, in the service of which individuals are entirely dispensable.
What does Arendt conclude was Marx’s fundamental error?
He misconceived political action by mixing together the two human categories of ‘work’ and ‘labour’. He confuses ‘work’ with ‘political action’.
What is the issue with confusing ‘work’ and ‘political action’?
‘Work’ means the act of making things. Politics is not ‘making’ because men are not raw material to be manipulated. To conceive of politics as making ignores the theory of human plurality and coerces individuals. This is Marx’s error.
