In her seminal work The Human Condition, Hannah Arendt reveals the political motivations behind the Holocaust. While her disagreement with Heidegger is well known, her emphasis on direct citizen deliberation is not. This article outlines the political philosophy behind Arendt's work and examines some of the questions she tries to answer in her book. She also discusses her relationship to the Partisan Review, a journal of mostly leftist intellectuals.
The Human Condition
The Human Condition by Hannah Arendt was written in 1958. She defended classical ideals of work, citizenship, and political action in the face of welfare. In doing so, she owed a great deal to the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. Arendt argues that human beings are made of two main parts: what they do and who they are. This is a difficult and controversial statement to swallow, especially in the present climate. However, Arendt does have a point in her argument.
Hannah Arendt's approach to politics
A critical realist and political philosopher, Hannah Arendt was one of the most important figures of the twentieth century. She was born in Germany in 1906 and became a student of Martin Heidegger in the late 1920s. They had a brief love affair. They later met at Freiburg University where Arendt studied with Edmund Husserl and Karl Jaspers. Together, they would form a lifelong friendship.
Her disagreement with Heidegger
If you're familiar with Hannah Arendt, you may have noticed the differences between her writing and Heidegger's. Arendt was a Nazi sympathizer, but she later changed her philosophy and opted for philosophical-poetic contemplation. Heidegger had been a prominent figure in German philosophy. In Being and Time, he established himself as one of the foremost thinkers of the twentieth century. Arendt's disagreement with Heidegger is significant for both his political and philosophical positions.
Her emphasis on direct citizen deliberation
The UK provides a particularly appropriate context to investigate citizens' preferences for direct democracy and deliberative procedures. In the last decade, the UK has organized two national referendums, and many local referendums have been related to devolution and independence. The UK also holds many regional and local public deliberations on issues such as local transport, health, and environment. However, many of these are not 'direct democracy' in the strictest sense of the word.
Her critique of ghetto leaders
In the 1950s, Arendt's critique of ghétto leaders sparked controversy. The author claimed to have reported a prosecutor's comments, but this statement was later retracted. The controversy over Arendt's treatment of ghetto leaders was particularly strong because Jewish feelings were very raw at the time. In her book, Arendt criticised both the leaders of the ghettos and the persecutors of the Jews. This made Arendt a target for attack, especially in the Jewish community. In response to Arendt's criticism, Gershom Scholem accused her of not loving the Jews.
