Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt, én af forrige århundredes store politiske tænkere, har fået en renæssance, for hun bidrager med noget vigtigt, som vi også i vor tid bør overveje, besinde os på, og handle på! To temaer er centrale i Hannah Arendts forfatterskab: Ondskabens problem, der aldrig har været tydeligere end i skyggen af nazismens og kommunismens udryddelses- og arbejdslejre, og hvis trængsler vi bærer med os ind i det nye årtusinde. Og menneskelivets vilkår og spørgsmålet om hvorfor vi ikke kan organisere Det Gode Liv, sådan som allerede Platon og Aristoteles talte om? Også det spørgsmål kan og bør optage det senmoderne menneske. Grundlæggende spørger Hannah Arendt, hvordan vi som mennesker skal forholde os og agere i forhold til hinanden i en tid, hvor De Store Fortællinger er lagt tavse og vi er blevet overladt til os selv. Hun søger de midler og muligheder vi har for efter samtidens store menneskelige katastrofer at finde tilbage til et humant og respektfuldt fællesskab med hinanden. En grundtanke hos Hannah Arendt er umuligheden af at forudsige verdens gang, i hvert fald så længe denne historiens gang involverer handlende mennesker. Evnen til tænkning bliver hendes bedste bud på et værn mod de uundgåelige katastrofer vi påfører os selv, når håbet krakelerer.

Very Short Introductions : Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) was one of the major intellectual figures of the twentieth century. Born in Konigsberg to secular Jewish parents, she was a student of the two major exponents of Existenz philosophy in Germany, Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger. Arendt escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, traveling first to Paris and then in 1940 to the United States, where she gained citizenship in 1951. As director of the Jewish Cultural Reconstruction she oversaw the collection and presentation of over 1.5 million articles of Judaica and Hebraica that had been hidden from or looted by the Nazis. This Very Short Introduction explores the philosophical ideas and political theories belonging to one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. As a survivor of the Holocaust, Arendt's life informed her work exploring the meaning and construction of power, evil, totalitarianism, and direct democracy. Through insightful readings of Arendt's best-known works, from The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) to The Life of the Mind (1978), Dana Villa traces the importance of Arendt's ideas for today's reader. In so doing, Villa explains how Arendt gained world-wide fame with the publication of Origins, and went on to have a distinguished career as a political theorist and public intellectual. A sometimes controversial figure, Arendt is now recognised as one of the most important political thinkers of the twentieth century and her works have become an acknowledged part of the Western canon of political theory and philosophy. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Very Short Introductions : Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) was one of the major intellectual figures of the twentieth century. Born in Konigsberg to secular Jewish parents, she was a student of the two major exponents of Existenz philosophy in Germany, Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger. Arendt escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, traveling first to Paris and then in 1940 to the United States, where she gained citizenship in 1951. As director of the Jewish Cultural Reconstruction she oversaw the collection and presentation of over 1.5 million articles of Judaica and Hebraica that had been hidden from or looted by the Nazis. This Very Short Introduction explores the philosophical ideas and political theories belonging to one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. As a survivor of the Holocaust, Arendt's life informed her work exploring the meaning and construction of power, evil, totalitarianism, and direct democracy. Through insightful readings of Arendt's best-known works, from The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) to The Life of the Mind (1978), Dana Villa traces the importance of Arendt's ideas for today's reader. In so doing, Villa explains how Arendt gained world-wide fame with the publication of Origins, and went on to have a distinguished career as a political theorist and public intellectual. A sometimes controversial figure, Arendt is now recognised as one of the most important political thinkers of the twentieth century and her works have become an acknowledged part of the Western canon of political theory and philosophy. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The acclaimed biographer presents 'a perceptive life of the controversial political philosopher' and author of Eichmann in Jerusalem (Kirkus Reviews).Hannah Arendt was a polarizing cultural theorist-extolled by her peers as a visionary and berated by her critics as a poseur and a fraud. Born in Prussia to assimilated Jewish parents, she escaped from Hitler's Germany in 1933. Arendt is now best remembered for the storm of controversy that surrounded her 1963 New Yorker series on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a kidnapped Nazi war criminal.Arendt's first book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, single-handedly altered the way generations around the world viewed fascism and genocide. Her most famous work, Eichmann in Jerusalem, created fierce debate that continues to this day, exacerbated by the posthumous discovery that she had been the lover of the philosopher and Nazi sympathizer Martin Heidegger.In this comprehensive biography, Anne C. Heller tracks the source of Arendt's contradictions and achievements to her sense of being a 'conscious pariah'-one of those rare people who doesn't 'lose confidence in ourselves if society does not approve us' and will not 'pay any price' to gain the acceptance of others.

The acclaimed biographer presents 'a perceptive life of the controversial political philosopher' and author of Eichmann in Jerusalem (Kirkus Reviews).Hannah Arendt was a polarizing cultural theorist-extolled by her peers as a visionary and berated by her critics as a poseur and a fraud. Born in Prussia to assimilated Jewish parents, she escaped from Hitler's Germany in 1933. Arendt is now best remembered for the storm of controversy that surrounded her 1963 New Yorker series on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a kidnapped Nazi war criminal.Arendt's first book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, single-handedly altered the way generations around the world viewed fascism and genocide. Her most famous work, Eichmann in Jerusalem, created fierce debate that continues to this day, exacerbated by the posthumous discovery that she had been the lover of the philosopher and Nazi sympathizer Martin Heidegger.In this comprehensive biography, Anne C. Heller tracks the source of Arendt's contradictions and achievements to her sense of being a 'conscious pariah'-one of those rare people who doesn't 'lose confidence in ourselves if society does not approve us' and will not 'pay any price' to gain the acceptance of others.

The acclaimed biographer presents "a perceptive life of the controversial political philosopher" and author of Eichmann in Jerusalem (Kirkus Reviews). Hannah Arendt was a polarizing cultural theorist-extolled by her peers as a visionary and berated by her critics as a poseur and a fraud. Born in Prussia to assimilated Jewish parents, she escaped from Hitler's Germany in 1933. Arendt is now best remembered for the storm of controversy that surrounded her 1963 New Yorker series on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a kidnapped Nazi war criminal. Arendt's first book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, single-handedly altered the way generations around the world viewed fascism and genocide. Her most famous work, Eichmann in Jerusalem, created fierce debate that continues to this day, exacerbated by the posthumous discovery that she had been the lover of the philosopher and Nazi sympathizer Martin Heidegger. In this comprehensive biography, Anne C. Heller tracks the source of Arendt's contradictions and achievements to her sense of being a "conscious pariah"-one of those rare people who doesn't "lose confidence in ourselves if society does not approve us" and will not "pay any price" to gain the acceptance of others.

The acclaimed biographer presents "a perceptive life of the controversial political philosopher" and author of Eichmann in Jerusalem (Kirkus Reviews). Hannah Arendt was a polarizing cultural theorist-extolled by her peers as a visionary and berated by her critics as a poseur and a fraud. Born in Prussia to assimilated Jewish parents, she escaped from Hitler's Germany in 1933. Arendt is now best remembered for the storm of controversy that surrounded her 1963 New Yorker series on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a kidnapped Nazi war criminal. Arendt's first book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, single-handedly altered the way generations around the world viewed fascism and genocide. Her most famous work, Eichmann in Jerusalem, created fierce debate that continues to this day, exacerbated by the posthumous discovery that she had been the lover of the philosopher and Nazi sympathizer Martin Heidegger. In this comprehensive biography, Anne C. Heller tracks the source of Arendt's contradictions and achievements to her sense of being a "conscious pariah"-one of those rare people who doesn't "lose confidence in ourselves if society does not approve us" and will not "pay any price" to gain the acceptance of others.

Hannah Arendt is one of the most renowned political thinkers of the twentieth century and her work has never been more relevant than it is today. Born in Germany in 1906, Arendt published her first book at the age of 23, before turning away from the world of academic philosophy to reckon with the rise of the Third Reich. After the War, Arendt became one of the most prominent – and controversial – public intellectuals of her time, publishing influential works such as The Origins of Totalitarianism , The Human Condition and Eichmann in Jerusalem . Samantha Rose Hill weaves together new biographical detail, archival documents, poems and correspondence to reveal a woman whose passion for the life of the mind was nourished by her love of the world.

Hannah Arendt is one of the most renowned political thinkers of the twentieth century and her work has never been more relevant than it is today. Born in Germany in 1906, Arendt published her first book at the age of 23, before turning away from the world of academic philosophy to reckon with the rise of the Third Reich. After the War, Arendt became one of the most prominent – and controversial – public intellectuals of her time, publishing influential works such as The Origins of Totalitarianism , The Human Condition and Eichmann in Jerusalem . Samantha Rose Hill weaves together new biographical detail, archival documents, poems and correspondence to reveal a woman whose passion for the life of the mind was nourished by her love of the world.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) er en af de få store politiske teoretikere, som forsvarer politikkens værdighed. Hvor andre filosoffer har forsøgt at vende sig fra det politiske ved at reducere politik til moral, økonomi eller velfærd, fokuserer Arendt på politikken selv for at forstå dens egenart. Bogen "Hannah Arendt" præsenterer Arendts forfatterskab med originaltekster og analyser. Det moderne menneskes tab af en politisk eksistens er det centrale problem, som Arendts værker forsøger at forstå. Som tyskfødt jøde havde Arendt personlige erfaring med nazismen, hvilket resulterede i hendes store interesse for politisk handling og hendes studier af den totalitære styreform i Hitlers Tredje Rige og Stalins Sovjetunionen. Efter et studie af nazisten Adolf Eichmann blev Arendt interesseret i tænkningens betydning i relation til, hvad hun kaldte 'ondskabens banalitet'. Bogen "Hannah Arendt" introducerer læseren til Arendts politikbegreb, samt hendes analyser af revolutionære perioder, totalitarisme og ondskab.

In this volume, based on the series of Alexander Lectures she delivered at the University of Toronto, Julia Kristeva explores the philosophical aspects of Hannah Arendt's work: her understanding of such concepts as language, self, body, political space, and life. Kristeva's aim is to clarify contradictions in Arendt's thought as well as correct misapprehensions about her political and philosophical views. The first two chapters describe how Arendt followed an original conception of human narrative, such that life, action, and even thought, are only human when they can be narrated and thus shared with other persons who, through the evocation of memory, complete the story and make history into a condensed sign, into a revelation of the 'who.' The third chapter concentrates on Arendt's work in relation to her twentieth-century contemporaries, especially Isak Dinesen, Brecht, Kafka, and Nathalie Sarraute. In the last two chapters, on the body and the Kantian concept of judgment, Kristeva offers a subtle critical exploration of Arendt's ignoring of the world of the unconscious opened up by psychoanalysis, an exploration that, paradoxically, reveals the political force of Arendt's acceptance of herself as woman and Jew. Kristeva's account of Arendt's 'philosophy of narrative' is clear, coherent, forceful, and often impassioned. Much has been written in North America about Arendt's political work, but little about her more philosophical endeavours. Hannah Arendt: Life Is a Narrative makes a compelling case that Arendt may be the twentieth century's only true political philosopher.

In this volume, based on the series of Alexander Lectures she delivered at the University of Toronto, Julia Kristeva explores the philosophical aspects of Hannah Arendt's work: her understanding of such concepts as language, self, body, political space, and life. Kristeva's aim is to clarify contradictions in Arendt's thought as well as correct misapprehensions about her political and philosophical views. The first two chapters describe how Arendt followed an original conception of human narrative, such that life, action, and even thought, are only human when they can be narrated and thus shared with other persons who, through the evocation of memory, complete the story and make history into a condensed sign, into a revelation of the 'who.' The third chapter concentrates on Arendt's work in relation to her twentieth-century contemporaries, especially Isak Dinesen, Brecht, Kafka, and Nathalie Sarraute. In the last two chapters, on the body and the Kantian concept of judgment, Kristeva offers a subtle critical exploration of Arendt's ignoring of the world of the unconscious opened up by psychoanalysis, an exploration that, paradoxically, reveals the political force of Arendt's acceptance of herself as woman and Jew. Kristeva's account of Arendt's 'philosophy of narrative' is clear, coherent, forceful, and often impassioned. Much has been written in North America about Arendt's political work, but little about her more philosophical endeavours. Hannah Arendt: Life Is a Narrative makes a compelling case that Arendt may be the twentieth century's only true political philosopher.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) var en af det 20. århundredes store politiske teoretikere, hun har i sine bøger behandlet en række af nutidens vægtige tankemæssige udfordringer. Hannah Arendt var blandt de første til at formulere en teori om nazismen som ideologi og som totalitær styreform. Som filosof gav hun samtidig sin politikforståelse et fundament i en teori om menneskets evne til at handle og tænke selvstændigt. I sine bøger behandlede hun en række af nutidens store tankemæssige udfordringer, heriblandt forskydningerne mellem privat og offentlig, politisk rodløshed og normale menneskers banale ondskab. Hannah Arendts fine filosofiske analyser gennemgås af Anna Marie Pahuus, der blandt andet giver en indføring i hovedværket Menneskets vilkår fra 1958, i bogen om Eichmann i Jerusalem og desuden introducerer Arendts teori om tænkningens etiske rolle skrevet kørt før hendes død.

The definitive, long-awaited, and revelatory intellectual biography of Hannah Arendt, one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century Drawing on newly discovered archival materials and previously overlooked documents--from both Germany, where Hannah Arendt was born to a Jewish family in 1906, and the United States, where she was a citizen from 1950--Thomas Meyer tells the story of an intellectual icon whose character and ideas continue to captivate and challenge us to this day. Tracing anew Arendt's journey from K?nigsberg to Paris, where she fled after being imprisoned in 1933, and finally to New York in 1941, Meyer illuminates her formative years and the development of her radical and brilliant books, as well as her lifelong philosophical debate with Martin Heidegger, whose Nazism was a permanent challenge for her. Meyer's account centers on two pivotal phases--Arendt's years in Paris after fleeing Nazi Germany and her time in the United States leading up to the landmark publication of The Origins of Totalitarianism in 1951--providing not only a meticulous reconstruction of her life but also a compelling invitation to rethink her legacy for our times. At a time of acute political polarization, with liberalism in crisis and urgent debates about freedom, responsibility, and truth unfolding all around, Arendt's writings and ideas resonate more powerfully than ever. Meyer's account of her extraordinary life is groundbreaking and sensational, not just for his illuminating and peerless research, but also for his incisive exploration of what Arendt's work has meant over the decades--and continues to mean for us today.

A revelatory, long-awaited, and definitive intellectual biography of Hannah Arendt, one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century Drawing on newly discovered archival materials and previously overlooked documents--from both Germany, where Arendt was born to a Jewish family in 1906, and the United States, where she was a citizen from 1950--Thomas Meyer tells the story of an intellectual icon whose character and ideas continue to captivate and challenge us to this day. Tracing anew Arendt's journey from K?nigsberg to Paris, where she fled to after being imprisoned by the Gestapo in 1933, and finally to New York, Meyer illuminates her formative years and the development of her radical and brilliant books, as well as her long love affair with Martin Heidegger, whose Nazism posed a deadly threat to Arendt's life and family. His account centers on two pivotal phases--Arendt's years in Paris after fleeing Nazi Germany and her years in the U.S. leading up to the landmark publication of Origins of Totalitarianism --providing not only a meticulous reconstruction of her life but also a compelling invitation to rethink her legacy for our times. At a time of acute political polarization, with liberalism in crisis and urgent debates about freedom, responsibility, and truth unfolding all around, Arendt's writings and ideas resonate more powerfully than ever. Meyer's account of her extraordinary life is groundbreaking and sensational, not just for his illuminating and peerless research, but also for his incisive exploration of what Arendt's work has meant over the decades--and continues to mean for us today.

This highly acclaimed, prize-winning biography of one of the foremost political philosophers of the twentieth century is here reissued in a trade paperback edition for a new generation of readers. In a new preface the author offers an account of writings by and about Arendt that have appeared since the book’s 1982 publication, providing a reassessment of her subject’s life and achievement. Praise for the earlier edition: “Both a personal and an intellectual biography . . . It represents biography at its best.”—Peter Berger, front page, The New York Times Book Review “A story of surprising drama . . . . At last, we can see Arendt whole.”—Jim Miller, Newsweek “Indispensable to anyone interested in the life, the thought, or . . . the example of Hannah Arendt.”—Mark Feeney, Boston Globe “An adventure story that moves from pre-Nazi Germany to fame in the United States, and . . . a study of the influences that shaped a sharp political awareness.”—Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch Cover drawing by David Schorr

This highly acclaimed, prize-winning biography of one of the foremost political philosophers of the twentieth century is here reissued in a trade paperback edition for a new generation of readers. In a new preface the author offers an account of writings by and about Arendt that have appeared since the book's 1982 publication, providing a reassessment of her subject's life and achievement. Praise for the earlier edition: "Both a personal and an intellectual biography . . . It represents biography at its best."-Peter Berger, front page, The New York Times Book Review "A story of surprising drama . . . . At last, we can see Arendt whole."-Jim Miller, Newsweek "Indispensable to anyone interested in the life, the thought, or . . . the example of Hannah Arendt."-Mark Feeney, Boston Globe "An adventure story that moves from pre-Nazi Germany to fame in the United States, and . . . a study of the influences that shaped a sharp political awareness."-Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch Cover drawing by David Schorr

Die große Denkerin und ihr Werk 'Ich glaube nicht, dass es irgendeinen Denkvorgang gibt, der ohne persönliche Erfahrung möglich ist. Alles Denken ist Nachdenken, der Sache nach - denken.' Für Thomas Meyer bilden diese Sätze Hannah Arendts den Leitfaden seiner Biografie. Ihm folgt Meyer, wenn er anhand neuer Quellen ihr Leben und Werk von Königsberg nach New York, von der Dissertation über Augustin bis hin zum unvollendeten Opus magnum 'Vom Leben des Geistes' nachzeichnet und deutet.Seine Biografie beleuchtet die Faszination und die Kritik, die ihre Person und ihre Schriften zeitlebens auslösten, und macht dabei sowohl für Interessierte wie für Kenner das Phänomen 'Hannah Arendt' verständlich.

This book gathers some of Hannah Arendt’s core themes and focuses them on the question, ‘What is education for?’ For Arendt, as for Aristotle, education is the means whereby we achieve personal autonomy through the exercise of independent judgement, attain adulthood through the recognition of others as equal but different, gain a sense of citizenship through the assumption of our civic rights and responsibilities, and realize our full potential as sentient beings with the capacity for human ‘flourishing’ and ‘happiness’ ( eudaimonia ). In order to appreciate the pivotal role that education plays in Arendt’s analysis of the human condition, we have to understand the emphasis she placed on ‘thoughtfulness’, as the measure of our humanity and on ‘thoughtlessness’, as the measure of our inhumanity. Education sustains and develops the human capacity: to think together ( phronesis ), to think for oneself (what Arendt called ‘the two-in-one’ of thinking), and to think from the point of view of others (what she termed ‘representative thinking’). From the developing constellation of ideas embedded in her vast and varied body of work, the author infers a notion of education as a necessary preparation for personal fulfillment, social engagement, and civic participation.

This book gathers some of Hannah Arendt’s core themes and focuses them on the question, ‘What is education for?’ For Arendt, as for Aristotle, education is the means whereby we achieve personal autonomy through the exercise of independent judgement, attain adulthood through the recognition of others as equal but different, gain a sense of citizenship through the assumption of our civic rights and responsibilities, and realize our full potential as sentient beings with the capacity for human ‘flourishing’ and ‘happiness’ ( eudaimonia ). In order to appreciate the pivotal role that education plays in Arendt’s analysis of the human condition, we have to understand the emphasis she placed on ‘thoughtfulness’, as the measure of our humanity and on ‘thoughtlessness’, as the measure of our inhumanity. Education sustains and develops the human capacity: to think together ( phronesis ), to think for oneself (what Arendt called ‘the two-in-one’ of thinking), and to think from the point of view of others (what she termed ‘representative thinking’). From the developing constellation of ideas embedded in her vast and varied body of work, the author infers a notion of education as a necessary preparation for personal fulfillment, social engagement, and civic participation.