Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Human Condition (Second Edition)

  • By: Hannah Arendt
  • Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
  • Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (21 ratings)

$0.00 for first 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
The Human Condition (Second Edition) cover art

The Human Condition (Second Edition)

By: Hannah Arendt
Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Origins of Totalitarianism cover art
The German Ideology cover art
The Open Society and Its Enemies cover art
Being and Time cover art
Philosophical Investigations cover art
The Myth of the Framework cover art
Orientalism cover art
The Second Sex cover art
The Sublime Object of Ideology cover art
Hannah Arendt cover art
Ideas cover art
Escape from Freedom cover art
Postcapitalist Desire cover art
Critique of Pure Reason cover art
Philosophers cover art
Hume cover art

Summary

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

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Transform your day

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Listen everywhere

Listen everywhere

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Carry your entire Library

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Listen and learn

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Reach your reading goals

Reach your reading goals

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Find your niche

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for £0.00 £7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

What listeners say about The Human Condition (Second Edition)

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

History of 'work'

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Too much to take in from one go

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?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

narration


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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful