Hannah Arendt Banality Of Evil Essay

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Hannah Arendt is considered one of the most influential political theorists in the 20th century. She analyzed topics concerning anti-Semitism, discrimination, evil, and how societies function. Like most people, her life very much influences her thoughts and actions. An example of this is Arendt’s mother Martha Arendt who taught her not to withstand the anti-Semitism that occurred post World War One in Germany. This caused Arendt to transform into a headstrong woman that “when attacked as a Jew, one must defend oneself as a Jew” (Baehr viii). This mindset taught to Arendt by her mother is carried on into her political philosophy which can be seen in her book The Banality of Evil. Arendt’s acceptance of her culture and herself allowed for her to impact those around her in the political, ethical, and metaphysical way. This can also be evident in Rahel Varnhagen, a narrative explaining the Jewish problem. Excluding her mother, Arendt had other influential individuals who helped shape her mind, but the key individual in shaping her philosophy and herself is Martin Heidegger. This individual forms a strong bond with Arendt helping her sculpt her influence on the world. Her thoughts on the metaphysical and the political have helped shape a new perspective and a separate school of thought created that is centred on her ideology. Arendt’s thoughts are manifested through her experience as a person. Thus, Arendt’s philosophy is influenced by her life.…show more content…
Her parents were somewhat religious skeptics, but it did not deter them from allowing Arendt a religious experience. As mentioned previously Martha tougher Arendt no to tolerate any of the anti-Semitism brought by the students and teachers of Arendt in her childhood which resulted in a high resilience towards any anti-Semitic thoughts. This can be seen in her controversial book, The Banality of Evil: Eichmann in

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