Cambridge Companion to Hannah Arendt

Widely recognized as one of the most original and influential political think-
ers of the twentieth century, Hannah Arendt remains an elusive figure. She
never wrote a systematic political philosophy in the mode of Thomas
Hobbes or John Rawls, and the books she did write are extremely diverse in
topic, covering totalitarianism, the place of political action in human life, the
trial of Adolf Eichmann, the meaning of the modern revolutionary tradition,
the nature of political freedom and authority, and the faculties which make
up “the life of the mind.” These works are not constructed upon a single
argument, diligently unfolded, or upon a linear narrative. Rather, they are
grounded upon a series of striking conceptual distinctions – between tyranny
and totalitarianism; action, labor, and work; political revolution and strug-
gles for liberation; thinking, willing, and judging – which Arendt elaborates
and weaves into complex thematic strands. The interconnections between
the strands are sometimes left to the reader. Thus, it is no surprise that new-
comers to her work are often baffled by how the pieces fit together (not only
from book to book, but often within a single volume). They cannot help
wondering whether there is, in fact, a consistent perspective behind her
varied reflections on the nature of political evil, the glories of political
action, and the fragility of civilized society (the “human artifice”) in the face
of mounting natural, technological, and political pressure.