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Customer Reviews of The Human Condition

Labor is, according to Arendt, those human activities whose main aim is to allow men to survive, for example eating, drinking and sleeping. These activities belong to the private sphere, and while the human being strives painstakingly to perform them, he is not free.

On the other hand, Action is the moment when the human being develops the capacity that distinguishes him, the ability of being free. This is the public sphere, where men, after having provided for themselves and their families what was needed to "continue in existence", can at last be free.

Arendt shows us the historical evolution of these concepts, and how that evolution is connected to the evolution of the concept of work. At the end of this book, you will have analyzed with her the human condition, from the point of view of the activities that the human being is capable of. What is more, you will be able to have a valid view regarding the past, and an interesting perspective on what is happening now, and on what the future may bring to us. Yes, it is true that this book was released a long time ago, but I believe that it is still as important now as it was then.

Arendt (1906-1975) was a respected professor and thinker, who wrote books that greatly influenced quite a few of her contemporaries. Even though her more significant book was "Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951), "The human condition" is also essential in order to understand her ideas. Not only that, it will probably help you to understand our society, or at least to contemplate it through the eyes of a remarkably good political scientist.

I must warn you that "The human condition" isn't overly easy to read, and that you might find yourself re-reading a paragraph a few times before understanding what it means. However, at the end of the book you will realize that the effort is worthwhile, because then all you have read makes sense and leaves you with the sensation of having understood some concepts that you will find useful.

On the whole, recommended. You aren't likely to "have fun" reading this book, but it will be useful to you, and if you manage to finish it, you will realize that you benefited from it. So, PERSEVERANCE ):

Belen Alcat

A Fine Piece of Existential Political Philosophy
This is a brilliant work by a foremost intellectual of our times, Hannah Arendt. Though labelled under "political theory", this book is actually a existential (Heideggerian) analysis of the "Human Condition", emphasizing especially its social and political elements, as befits a work written in the second half of the 20th century.

I will not attempt to summarize it; suffice to say it is one of the finest works of 20th century philosophy. Highly recommended to anyone interested in political philosophy of a different sort.

Oran Magal, graduate student of philosophy, Tel Aviv University

Absolute Trash
This is the stereotypical piece of literature that someone says they like because they think it makes them appear smart. Do not make the mistake of buying (or buying into) this piece of junk. Reading it actually makes me ill.