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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Super interesting and thought-provoking! At times a bit too obscure and abstract for me, but still a rewarding read.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Moeten lezen voor Rechtsfilosofie I, ergste boek dat ik ooit heb moeten lezen en ergste vak dat ik ooit heb gehad.
—0,5/5
—0,5/5
This is an odd, difficult, and wide-ranging examination of the human condition from the vantage point of human history. Arendt's presentation is logical, not chronological, so the circular path she takes can be confusing for the reader. And it doesn't help that her tone is highly impersonal and objective, which always raises the critic's hackles, especially when that critic is confused. But read carefully with an open mind (open for a return to pre-Socratic thinking even) it is a fascinating indictment of the modern age.
The downfall of the modern age seems to start with Cartesian doubt and our unwillingness to accept the discomfort of uncertainty. Even when this uncertainty is bounded by reason, humans have a tendency toward dogma, "cuz ya gotta believe in something." The result is that people become closed off to unscientific ways of knowing because they are fraught with risk; instead, people form camps of belief and stop listening to each other, and ultimately this short circuits the political process. Arendt barely even mentions totalitarianism in this book, but it always seems to be hovering ominously off stage.
The Human Condition is a complicated book well worth a deep dive as long as you're not looking for a conclusory statement of belief. Arendt is careful to the point of defensiveness, which doesn't help the non-academic reader. Still, a fascinating read.
The downfall of the modern age seems to start with Cartesian doubt and our unwillingness to accept the discomfort of uncertainty. Even when this uncertainty is bounded by reason, humans have a tendency toward dogma, "cuz ya gotta believe in something." The result is that people become closed off to unscientific ways of knowing because they are fraught with risk; instead, people form camps of belief and stop listening to each other, and ultimately this short circuits the political process. Arendt barely even mentions totalitarianism in this book, but it always seems to be hovering ominously off stage.
The Human Condition is a complicated book well worth a deep dive as long as you're not looking for a conclusory statement of belief. Arendt is careful to the point of defensiveness, which doesn't help the non-academic reader. Still, a fascinating read.
Arendts analysis of The Human Condition was dense. I read this book for my class and I particularly loved the discussions we had in class. We grappled with the state of our political action in Arendts eyes, and often struggled. Or at least I did. She is such a smart and inquisitive person. The most difficult part of reading this was her mixture of large academic words, with simpler words but redefined. For example, her definition of action is not at all how I mean action when I speak or write it. It made it difficult to understand when reading it, and made me more grateful for my class. An additional challenge I have is that she points out all these issues, how we are no longer political beings and only focus on labor, but proposes no ideas for what we should do exactly to fix this. Her main argument is to return to the polis, back to a space where we had free thinkers, and ideas. And I do agree. I think her argument is correct in many ways. One thing we often ran into was that her ideas seemed to not be fully thought out. Making it a struggle to answer modern day questions for a book written 70 years ago.
The thing I most loved was her questioning of advancing technology. She starts the book with the launching of Sputnik. A mortal object that was placed into an immortal and celestial space. We know we can send objects to space, but should we? Its the question we never ask. We can create artificial intelligence, but should we? How does it better us when it produces 10x more carbon emissions than a google search? And her points on housekeeping were so pertinent. All our government does is keep things in order. And as it should, but any policy proposed is not born out of new ideas! It may be from action of the people, but its just to keep things in order. I love a lot about this book, but what I especially love is the idea she proposes, to talk to strangers. Learn more from people, exchange ideas. Something I know is needed but I am scared to do for my safety. So she says, don't talk to people who don't believe you should exist, and don't forgive them! But do talk to those who simply may not know. And if they make a mistake, forgive them. Become equals. And show your whole self everywhere you go. And remember that your identity is not who you are.. I hope more people read her, or at least hear her message. Because what she has to say needs to be heard.
The thing I most loved was her questioning of advancing technology. She starts the book with the launching of Sputnik. A mortal object that was placed into an immortal and celestial space. We know we can send objects to space, but should we? Its the question we never ask. We can create artificial intelligence, but should we? How does it better us when it produces 10x more carbon emissions than a google search? And her points on housekeeping were so pertinent. All our government does is keep things in order. And as it should, but any policy proposed is not born out of new ideas! It may be from action of the people, but its just to keep things in order. I love a lot about this book, but what I especially love is the idea she proposes, to talk to strangers. Learn more from people, exchange ideas. Something I know is needed but I am scared to do for my safety. So she says, don't talk to people who don't believe you should exist, and don't forgive them! But do talk to those who simply may not know. And if they make a mistake, forgive them. Become equals. And show your whole self everywhere you go. And remember that your identity is not who you are.. I hope more people read her, or at least hear her message. Because what she has to say needs to be heard.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Had very high hopes bc she’s the only woman theorist that we’re reading in theory, and she let me down
medium-paced
The portions about epistemology and the Archimedean point are pretty interesting, but the defense of private property, wealth, privacy are extraordinarily stupid
challenging
slow-paced
At this point I feel like me reading this book is kind of a joke - I first started it in... 2019ish? And I loved it, it changed the way I view a lot of things, but I was reading it for an exam and we were required to only read three chapters (which IS a good chunk of the book), I meant to finish it ever since, but never got around to it.
I picked it up again in 2022, I started all over again and once more, I loved the first two chapters, started on the third (which I originally didn't read, because the third chapter we were required to read was chapter 5 or something? I don't remember), but then I was trying to read it on a vacation and it was hot and... I just never finished it?
I love Hannah Arendt as a thinker (she did say some really racist stuff though, just to be clear... not supporting that) and I really want to finish this book, but clearly it's not happening now, so... putting it on hiatus now, hopefully I will get to it soon? I feel like this book is kind of jinxed for me though... maybe I just need to pick up another Hannah Arendt? That will definitely solve this issue...
I picked it up again in 2022, I started all over again and once more, I loved the first two chapters, started on the third (which I originally didn't read, because the third chapter we were required to read was chapter 5 or something? I don't remember), but then I was trying to read it on a vacation and it was hot and... I just never finished it?
I love Hannah Arendt as a thinker (she did say some really racist stuff though, just to be clear... not supporting that) and I really want to finish this book, but clearly it's not happening now, so... putting it on hiatus now, hopefully I will get to it soon? I feel like this book is kind of jinxed for me though... maybe I just need to pick up another Hannah Arendt? That will definitely solve this issue...
This is not an easy book but worth persevering with. Hannah Arendt displays impressive familiarity with a wide range of philosophers and thinkers from ancient Greece and Rome through to contemporary Germany and America. She draws on these to substantiate her own interpretation of the human condition. Key to this is the juxtaposition of 'animal laborans' to 'homo faber' and while she appears to favour the latter as the more holistic being who has objectives other than just keeping alive, in the end 'animal laborans' gains the upper hand as life is acknowledged as the greatest good.
This is a book on which to reflect and definitely worth re-reading to better appreciate the details of the erudite analysis.
This is a book on which to reflect and definitely worth re-reading to better appreciate the details of the erudite analysis.