Arendt writes, regarding the question of personal identity, the following: “. . . it is more than likely that the ‘who,’ which appears so clearly and unmistakably to others, remains hidden from the person himself, like the daimon in Greek religion which accompanies each man throughout his life, always looking over his shoulder from behind and thus visible only to those he encounters.”
This morning I read two tributes to David Lynch, the visionary film director who passed away on Thursday.
Kyle MacLachlan wrote: “Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize.” And Naomi Watts wrote: “The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease. How did he even ‘see me’ when I was so well hidden, and I’d even lost sight of myself?!”
To those of us who’s been wondering “Who am I?” Arendt suggests that the answer cannot be found through solitary introspection alone; but rather, will only be revealed through our actions, our deeds and words with others, in the public sphere.
When we think about labor, work, and action and how those three components are a part of the human condition, what I've been trying to do is understand what that does for our understanding of ourselves. When I break down these three characteristics and compare us to certain other species I find that these traits can be used to describe other animals like dolphins, ants, or bee's (given they could use some help on the homo faber trait) in very similar ways.
I am waiting to see what Ardent plans for us to do with this information. Does anyone have any theories how she will apply these conditions to our daily lives as we move into the final chapter?
I think part of the payoff is that we find we live in an inverted world where labor is prioritized while work is diminished and action is made nearly negligible. I think that for Arendt this compromises the condition of plurality and breaks down social bonds.
In addition to considering how we can apply these concepts to better understand our daily lives, it is useful for us to keep in mind the historical context in which Arendt wrote "The Human Condition."
Arendt wrote this book not long after she had published the study that made her an authority in political theory: "The Origins of Totalitarianism." In it, she identified the destruction of the possibility for spontaneous, unique individual action to be one of the main conditions that allowed Totalitarianism, such as the Holocaust, to arise. As a Jew, Arendt had had to flee from Germany and eventually landed in the United States. And that was at the beginning of the Cold War when Stalinism was also very much on her mind. So the issue of Totalitarianism held a high level of theoretical and personal significance for Arendt. By attempting to salvage Action as both a theoretical and practical concept, I believe Arendt is trying to find an antidote to the threat of Totalitarianism.
As I believe the problem of Totalitarianism, as a constant threat or an existing reality, is still very much with us (not just in the U.S., but all over the world), "The Human Condition" continues to be a relevant and important book.
I feel that according to Arendt, the goal is to have meaningful work so that the worker is not only not alienated from but is actually proud of the end product designed specifically to have the best possible quality and the longest shelf life possible so that the nature is not merely treated as a means to an end. At the same time, one should pursue action via speech/deeds in the public domain to reveal him or herself as a unique person thereby contributing to and taking place in the evolving history of humanity. I am not sure how all of the above is possible under capitalistic system the way it currently is: economic growth above all else. Perhaps, one day AI will take over all labor and we will just spend our days doing exciting meaningful work and debating philosophical questions in public, but to me this sounds utopian and unrealistic.
One thing I wanted to comment on was how she spoke of making promises/contracts as a solution for the unpredictability of action, without which action is stifled. I think there is truth here, but also I feel like we would all be better served to learn how to take proper action in spite of any unpredictability. I think the more we embrace the unpredictability as simply a part of life, the less we are deterred from doing what is right.
I like to think that embracing unpredictability can lead to some of our best experiences. In a way embracing unpredictability also can act as a barrier to over or under reacting to some event or situation. I think in some scenarios the promises/contracts can reduce an unconscious stress that someone might have. Throughly agree with you on this thought.
Arendt writes, regarding the question of personal identity, the following: “. . . it is more than likely that the ‘who,’ which appears so clearly and unmistakably to others, remains hidden from the person himself, like the daimon in Greek religion which accompanies each man throughout his life, always looking over his shoulder from behind and thus visible only to those he encounters.”
This morning I read two tributes to David Lynch, the visionary film director who passed away on Thursday.
Kyle MacLachlan wrote: “Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize.” And Naomi Watts wrote: “The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease. How did he even ‘see me’ when I was so well hidden, and I’d even lost sight of myself?!”
To those of us who’s been wondering “Who am I?” Arendt suggests that the answer cannot be found through solitary introspection alone; but rather, will only be revealed through our actions, our deeds and words with others, in the public sphere.
When we think about labor, work, and action and how those three components are a part of the human condition, what I've been trying to do is understand what that does for our understanding of ourselves. When I break down these three characteristics and compare us to certain other species I find that these traits can be used to describe other animals like dolphins, ants, or bee's (given they could use some help on the homo faber trait) in very similar ways.
I am waiting to see what Ardent plans for us to do with this information. Does anyone have any theories how she will apply these conditions to our daily lives as we move into the final chapter?
I think part of the payoff is that we find we live in an inverted world where labor is prioritized while work is diminished and action is made nearly negligible. I think that for Arendt this compromises the condition of plurality and breaks down social bonds.
In addition to considering how we can apply these concepts to better understand our daily lives, it is useful for us to keep in mind the historical context in which Arendt wrote "The Human Condition."
Arendt wrote this book not long after she had published the study that made her an authority in political theory: "The Origins of Totalitarianism." In it, she identified the destruction of the possibility for spontaneous, unique individual action to be one of the main conditions that allowed Totalitarianism, such as the Holocaust, to arise. As a Jew, Arendt had had to flee from Germany and eventually landed in the United States. And that was at the beginning of the Cold War when Stalinism was also very much on her mind. So the issue of Totalitarianism held a high level of theoretical and personal significance for Arendt. By attempting to salvage Action as both a theoretical and practical concept, I believe Arendt is trying to find an antidote to the threat of Totalitarianism.
As I believe the problem of Totalitarianism, as a constant threat or an existing reality, is still very much with us (not just in the U.S., but all over the world), "The Human Condition" continues to be a relevant and important book.
I feel that according to Arendt, the goal is to have meaningful work so that the worker is not only not alienated from but is actually proud of the end product designed specifically to have the best possible quality and the longest shelf life possible so that the nature is not merely treated as a means to an end. At the same time, one should pursue action via speech/deeds in the public domain to reveal him or herself as a unique person thereby contributing to and taking place in the evolving history of humanity. I am not sure how all of the above is possible under capitalistic system the way it currently is: economic growth above all else. Perhaps, one day AI will take over all labor and we will just spend our days doing exciting meaningful work and debating philosophical questions in public, but to me this sounds utopian and unrealistic.
One thing I wanted to comment on was how she spoke of making promises/contracts as a solution for the unpredictability of action, without which action is stifled. I think there is truth here, but also I feel like we would all be better served to learn how to take proper action in spite of any unpredictability. I think the more we embrace the unpredictability as simply a part of life, the less we are deterred from doing what is right.
I like to think that embracing unpredictability can lead to some of our best experiences. In a way embracing unpredictability also can act as a barrier to over or under reacting to some event or situation. I think in some scenarios the promises/contracts can reduce an unconscious stress that someone might have. Throughly agree with you on this thought.
Absolutely. Promises/contracts are useful in that way, but only an aid to a more complete solution.
how do we attend the online meetings? where do I get the zoom link from? I am new .. thanks!
I send the Zoom links out to paid subscribers, both via Substack Chat and via a separate post, an hour before the call.
thank u Jared! I am a paid subscriber. So, I will receive an email notification when you post the link ... i think?
Yes