PSIR Optional

Hannah Arendt

POLITY for Civil services
deepanalysis
  1. “Thinking without barriers.” Therefore can’t be categorised under any of the school of thought.
  2. Civic Republicanism – Importance of active participation by people in state affairs.
  3. Methodology – Phenomenology – To understand phenomenon through first hand experience.
  4. Social Capital – Needed to run society.
  5. Totalitarianism – Root – Hopelessness with political system.
    1. Crackpots.
    2. Fiction or propaganda.
    3. Movement without any aim.
    4. Product of bureaucratisation.
    5. Totalitarian parties have onion like structure –
      1. Front organisation to influence people.
      2. Estoric doctrines.
      3. Core leaders do understand fiction.
  6. Critic of modernity.
  7. Favours participatory and deliberative democracy.
  8. Recommends freedom of speech and expression we potentialise ourselves to do something new.
  9. Action = Speech
  • Ways to build theories – 
    • On the basis of reason.
    • On the basis of observation.
    • For both generalisation can be done.
  • Prominent works of Hannah – 
    • On origins of totalitarianism – “Cold War Intellectuals”
      • Criticised for this.
      • She has criticised Nazism and Leninism.
      • Criticised totalitarian regimes of 20th cent, targets nazism and stalinism.
      • Acc to Hannah Totalitarianism is totalitarianism.
    • On human condition – Philosophical work.
      • Theory of action.
    • Eichmann in Jerusalem –
      • Eichmann was not guilty.
      • Concept of “Banality of Evil”
      • She recommends thinking.
  • Margaret Canovan – 
    • Hannah not to be considered as historian who could brief on causes of totalitarianism.
    • We should not expect basic features of totalitarianism from Hannah.
  • Difference between authoritarian and totalitarian regime – 
    • Authoritarian – Violence was with some objective, they used violence against adversaries.
    • Totalitarianism – Violence against enemies as well as followers.
  • Reasons for atrocities done against Jews – 
    • Fictional enemy.
    • They were seen as symbol of state, it was felt that they’re given preferential status.
    • Were attacked when they were loosing political influence, it means that anyone could have been enemy.
  • Totalitarianism destroys nationalism.
  • Fascist promoted – Tribal Nationalism – Racism.
  • Rise of Totalitarianism – 
    • Imperialism – Product of capitalism. Excess generated capital needs to be generated to be invested abroad.
    • Anti-Semitism – Anti Jews. Denotes myths of racial superiority.
  • Hannah on Power – 
    • Conventional understanding –
      • Belong to state.
      • Coercive in nature.
      • Use requires legitimisation.
    • Power vs Strength – Strength is characteristic of individual, power is characteristic of collectivity.
    • Power vs Force – Force is natural. Eg – Wind. Power belongs to world of humans.
    • Power vs Violence – 
      • She links violence with authority or state.
      • We are powerless when we are isolated and vice-versa.
      • Power does not need legitimacy, it itself is legitimate.
      • State can exercise power with support of people.
      • State resort to violence when people don’t support.
  • Violence = Power – Legitimisation.
  • Power is sui generis.
Theory of Action – “The Human Condition”
  • Real action is Action.
  • Labour – 
    • Man can’t survive without this.
    • But she unlike believes that labour is not the most important because it does not give freedom.
    • Animal Laboran.
  • Work – 
    • Work gives partial freedom.
    • In this situation man is a builder.
    • Man acts as a Homofaber.
  • Action – Most Important.
    • This action is performed, when man participate in civic affairs/sphere.
    • Most important human action i.e human condition.
  • Human Condition – 
    • It means only when we participate in civic affairs we act like humans.
    • Human Condition = Political Animal.
    •       Hannah                 Aristotle
  • Importance of Action – Because man wants freedom, freedom is not present in totalitarian societies. To end totalitarianism we need to perform “action.”
  • Diversity – Each human is different, hence we need to recognise diversity. Totalitarianism doesn’t recognise diversity. Totalitarianism leads to homogenisation.
  • Equality – Though all beings are different yet all are equal.
  • Fascism – Continental Imperialism.
  • Speech – Honest speech. Speech which has congruence between words and action. Action and speech is performed through action.
  • Theory of action = “Praxis” of Hannah.
Banality of Evil – Normalisation of Evil
  1. We are living in a society where evil does not appear evil.
  2. Despite being a Jew she didn’t consider Eichmann as guilty, because acc to her, he was on his job.
  3. Crisis of modernity – Economic sphere most important.
Hannah’s concept of Revolution – 
  1. Different from that of Marx.
  2. Praised American and criticised revolution.
  3. French Revolution led to rule of totalitarians, whereas American revolution led to democracy.
  • Revolution means ability of do something new – 
    • Thus revolution gives real freedom.
    • Real freedom come when people participate in direct democracy/civic affairs.

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