The Human Condition (Second Edition) cover art

The Human Condition (Second Edition)

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The Human Condition (Second Edition)

By: Hannah Arendt
Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
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About this listen

The past year has seen a resurgence of interest in the political thinker Hannah Arendt, "the theorist of beginnings", whose work probes the logics underlying unexpected transformations - from totalitarianism to revolution.

A work of striking originality, The Human Condition is in many respects more relevant now than when it first appeared in 1958. In her study of the state of modern humanity, Hannah Arendt considers humankind from the perspective of the actions of which it is capable. The problems Arendt identified then - diminishing human agency and political freedom, the paradox that as human powers increase through technological and humanistic inquiry, we are less equipped to control the consequences of our actions - continue to confront us today. This new edition, published to coincide with the 60th anniversary of its original publication, contains Margaret Canovan's 1998 introduction and a new foreword by Danielle Allen.

A classic in political and social theory, The Human Condition is a work that has proved both timeless and perpetually timely.

©1958, 1998 The University of Chicago Press (P)2020 Tantor Political Science Politics & Government Sociology Capitalism Socialism Morality Political Sociology

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All stars
Most relevant
Many of the ideas here felt familiar, but that's largely due to how influential it's been. The fact that it still stands up and feels contemporary and relevant 65 years on is impressive. The distinction between work and labour and the rise of the consumer society, her portrayal of perspective shifts about the human condition over time, the potential impact of automation on the sense of self-worth - all still both helpful and relevant.

My one gripe - in this version, the *only* non-English phrase to have been translated (in a book rammed with quotes in French, Latin, and German), was just about the most famous Latin phrase in all philosophy, Descartes' cogito ergo sum. How hard would it have been, really, to chuck in at least a paraphrase of the rest? Or, frankly, just replace with English for the audiobook?

Too much to take in from one go

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Narration could be less expressive.
Some parts of a text was not translated
Content was thought provoking, I will listen at least one more time.

narration

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The title does not describe the content, which is philosophical considerations of the topic, with lots of nonsense claims and controversial black and white conclusions. Should have listened something else instead.

History of 'work'

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