Hannah Arendt

by Simon Swift

Hannah Arendt's work offers a powerful critical engagement with the cultural and philosophical crises of mid-twentieth-century Europe. Her idea of the banality of evil, made famous after her report on the trial of the Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann, remains controversial to this day. In the face of 9/11 and the 'war on terror', Arendt's work on the politics of freedom and the rights of man in a democratic state are especially relevant. Her impassioned plea for the creation of a public sphere through free, critical thinking and dialogue provides a significant resource for contemporary thought. Covering her key ideas from The Origins of Totalitarianism and The Human Condition as well as some of her less well-known texts, and focussing in detail on Arendt's idea of storytelling, this guide brings Arendt's work into the twenty-first century while helping students to understand its urgent relevance for the contemporary world.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Lilly [Hiatus due to School] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Swift briefly touches on major topics in her books and writings regarding American politics and culture, totalitarianism and the social question. This includes the nature of civil liberties, the issue of state-sponsored violence, and the prevalence of criminality and lying in politics, particularly after the Vietnam War. Swift also highlights in this book the importance and awareness of the distinction between the public and private and the political and personal risk of these two spheres coming together - one of Arendt's major topics.

I have never heard of Hannah Arendt before, but I appreciate reading and learning about a political theorist not listed in traditional academic syllabuses; it was refreshing. While some of her ideas and theories can be seen as controversial today - such as her idea on power and violence/revolutions/the separation of the public and private, they do allow us a lens through which we can understand our current political atmosphere - particularly in the West.

[haryii]

uh-huh

[Judith Smulders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proper introduction to the works of Hannah Arendt containing the controversies surrounding her writings, her judgement on concepts such as evil and totalitarianism and her legacy. Simon Swift connects Arendt´s work to those of others such as Orwell, Plato, Heidegger and Rousseau. He also explains certain philosophical terms whilst placing Arendt and her work in its context. Points out why Arendt is the odd one out in this collection of philosophers since she had the viewpoint that philosophy and philosophers tend to be highly depoliticized or even anti-political but most of all outside of reality.

[Sara Mahran · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب عظيم لفيلسوفة مش هتتكرر.
اشتريت الكتاب ده بالصدفة من المعرض من المركز القومي للترجمة، شدني الكلام اللي مكتوب على ضهره، ومكنتش أعرف إني بسببه هكتشف امرأة حقيقي أفكارها في غاية التميز، وكانت سابقة عصرها بكتير.
الكتاب ميزته إنه حقيقي مكتوب حلو أوي، ومُفصّل، وحسيته مناسب لشخص زيي أول مرة يتعرف على حنه آرنت، أو يعرفها من قبل كده.
أفكارها عن السامية وتفاهة الشر أكتر بهرتني، والحقيقة إن كل أفكارها والمسائل الفلسفية اللي اهتمت مثيرة للتفكير والتوقف عندها حتى لو هتختلف معاها.
الكتاب عظيم الصراحة، كفي ووفي، ومش قادرة أستني لحد ما أقرأ كتابات حنه آرنت.