Hannah Arendt was one of the most intellectually challenging political philosophers of the 20th century. Her work spans the exploration of totalitarianism, the architecture of human consciousness, and the essence of violence and evil, all through an Aristotelian lens. Arendt's legacy in political thought remains influential and continues to provoke discussion and debate.

Early Life

Born to Paul and Martha Arendt, Hannah Arendt was an only child in a German-Jewish family residing in Hannover. Her father, an engineer, moved the family to Königsberg, East Prussia's former capital, where Hannah spent her formative years. She pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of Königsberg, earning her degree in 1924. That year marked the beginning of her postgraduate journey, where she studied under Martin Heidegger, an existentialist philosopher, at the University of Marburg. It was there she met Hans Jonas, a future New School colleague, in a New Testament seminar led by Rudolf Bultmann, a notable biblical scholar.

Arendt continued her academic path at the University of Heidelberg, studying under Karl Jaspers, whose existentialist Christian philosophy deeply influenced her. At just 22, she earned her doctorate with her dissertation, Love and Saint Augustine, published in 1929. Later that year, she married Günther Stern, a Jewish philosopher she had met years earlier during her studies at Marburg.

As the Nazi regime rose to power, Arendt's Jewish identity became increasingly perilous. She escaped to Paris in 1933, working with Youth Aliyah to aid Jewish orphans seeking refuge in Palestine. During this tumultuous period, her marriage to Stern fell apart, and they divorced in 1937. However, her commitment to humanitarian efforts persisted until 1940, when she married Heinrich Blücher, a philosophy professor who became a lifelong mentor.

The Nazi invasion of France in 1941 forced Arendt and Blücher to seek refuge in the United States. In New York City, Arendt engaged in humanitarian efforts from 1944 to 1946, helping to preserve the works of Jewish authors suppressed by the Nazis. She joined Schocken Books as chief editor in 1946, a position she held until 1948, and gained American citizenship in 1951.

Life’s Work

Arendt achieved international scholarly recognition in 1951 with the release of The Origins of Totalitarianism. This seminal work traced the rise of communism and Nazism to 19th-century imperialism and pervasive anti-Semitism in Europe. Though initially greeted with mixed reviews, it was praised for its comprehensive research. Critics, however, argued against her emphasis on anti-Semitism as a central element of totalitarianism's development, viewing it as a personal bias. Over time, Arendt's thesis has garnered substantial academic support.

Arendt further solidified her academic reputation with The Human Condition, based on her 1958 Walgreen lectures at the University of Chicago. The book introduced a groundbreaking analysis distinguishing work, labor, and activity while suggesting that political engagement could elevate civilization. Despite the dense prose, which drew some criticism, this work is considered one of Arendt’s pivotal contributions to modern philosophical discourse.

In 1959, Arendt broke new ground by becoming Princeton University's first female full professor. Shortly thereafter, she published Between Past and Future, exploring the consequences of modern society's abandonment of tradition and authority. Arendt's thesis on moral relativism resonated through subsequent decades, highlighting a world devoid of shared ethical standards.

Her most widely-read and debated work, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil , emerged in 1963. Initially published as a series of articles, it chronicled Adolf Eichmann's trial, offering a unique perspective. Arendt famously dubbed Eichmann's actions "the banality of evil," depicting him as a mundane bureaucrat rather than a fervent Nazi ideologue. This characterization sparked controversy,...