The intersection of education and politics: Hannah Arendt's perspective

Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt has made his name into history as one of the leading political philosophers and thinkers of the 20th century. Born in Hanover, Germany on October 14, 1906 to a Jewish family, she ended her life in the United States on December 4, 1975. Her life, as symbolized by the turbulent 20th century, is deeply connected to the rise of Nazism, World War II, and the Cold War, when the world was undergoing major transformation. Filled with intellectual curiosity from a young age, Arendt studied under Martin Heidegger at the University of Marburg, then completed his PhD at the University of Heidelberg under Karl Jaspers. Her academic background spanned philosophy, classical studies and theology, and had a major influence on the formation of thought that followed.

But what determined her life was the rise of the Nazis more than anything else. In 1933, when Adolf Hitler seized power, Arendt fled Jewish persecution and fled to France. During her exile in Paris, she interacted with many Jewish refugees, and her experiences were deeply engraved in her thoughts. He then moved to the United States in 1941 and settled in New York. He worked as a journalist, researcher and thinker, and continued to consider social and political issues from his unique perspective. This series of experiences, particularly the Nazi totalitarian regime and the tragedy of the Holocaust, leads to the quest for the core themes of her thoughts: totalitarianism, evil, and the human condition. Her ideas go beyond merely recording historical events, but continue to provide deep insights and suggestions to the political and ethical issues faced by modern society.

The foundations of Hannah Arendt's thought: the origin of totalitarianism

When talking about Arendt's ideas, the masterpiece "The Origins of Totalitarianism," published in 1951. In this major book, he thoroughly analyzed two totalitarian regimes in the 20th century: Nazi Germany and Stalinism in the Soviet Union, and attempted to elucidate their origins, mechanisms, and their influence on humanity. Arendt viewed totalitarianism as a completely new form of political system that differs from traditional tyranny and dictatorships, and examined its idiosyncraticity in detail. She pointed out that totalitarianism is not merely a concentration or oppression of political power, but a system that penetrates the roots of human thoughts, emotions and actions, completely destroying individual freedom and dignity.

In The Origins of Totalitarianism, Arendt explained the process of establishing a totalitarian regime in three stages. The first stage is the formation of ideologies such as anti-Semitism and racism, and the process by which they permeate society. The second stage is the collapse of nation-states and the atomization of society. The community and social connections that an individual belongs to are lost, creating situations in which isolated individuals are mobilized by the totalitarian movement. The third stage is the process of establishing a totalitarian mechanism of control, such as the establishment of secret police and concentration camps, and thorough propaganda. What's important here is that the totalitarian regime is not merely dominant by force, but rather seeks to thoroughly control people's thoughts and actions through ideology, propaganda and fear.

Arendt pointed out the characteristics of modern society, particularly the collapse of class societies, alienation, and the emergence of popular societies as factors that lead to the establishment of a totalitarian regime. She analyzed that in modern society, the totalitarian movement appeared to give people a sense of belonging and solidarity as traditional communities were dismantled and people became more isolated. She also warned of the danger that propaganda could distort people's thoughts and turn reality into fiction. The totalitarian regime destroys reality by repeating lies and paralyses people's judgment. Furthermore, they viewed concentration camps as a core device of totalitarianism. Concentration camps are not simply places where prisoners are housed, but places where humans are dehumanized and treated as "surplus beings." There, humans are deprived of their names and identities and are treated as mere numbers and symbols. Arendt reveals that totalitarianism fundamentally shakes human existence and has the terrible power to destroy humanity.

"The Calmness of Evil" - The Shock of "Eichmann of Jerusalem"

Another masterpiece of Arendt, and the centre of his ideas is Eichmann of Jerusalem, published in 1963. This work was written by Arendt, who attended the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Israel, and based on his experience. Eichmann was a person who played an important role in transport and murder in the Nazi Holocaust (Genix Genocide). Through his appearance at the trial, Arendt proposed the shocking concept of "banality of evil."

"Evil Criticality" refers to the fact that Eichmann was not a ruthless monster, but rather a "very normal" bureaucrat. Eichmann was merely a blind maneuvering his orders, Arendt pointed out, and he had no deep consideration of the meaning of his actions. Despite his commitment to the horrific crime of the Holocaust, he viewed his actions as a "duty" and abandoned moral judgment. Through this "evil cliche," Arendt highlighted the danger that humans might end up thinking and simply obey the orders of the organisation, and become a part of a terrible crime. This suggests that even people with good intentions and beliefs can become tainted by evil if they stop thinking.

Arendt analysed Eichmann associating with a "lack of thinking ability." Eichmann was unable to make abstract thoughts or moral judgments, and he was focused solely on completing the tasks that were right in front of him. She concluded that this halt of thinking is the biggest factor in humans complicit in evil. This concept of "evil cliche" has shaking traditional ethics and morality, and continues to question the importance of individual responsibility and thinking in modern society. In our daily lives, we may be halting our thoughts, simply following our commands, and without our knowledge we may be complicit in evil. Through this concept of "evil cliche," Arendt advocated the need for each of us to be responsible for our thoughts and actions at all times.

Publicity and freedom of action - the possibilities of human life

In Arendt's ideas, along with issues of totalitarianism and evil, the concepts of "publicity" and "freedom of action." She defined publicity as a space for individuals to express their opinions and act together through dialogue with others. This publicity can be seen in the agora (plaza) in the ancient Greek police (city state). Arendt saw the act of citizens in police expressing their opinions and making joint decisions as "action," and believed that this "action" was the foundation of human life.

She viewed actions as creative forces and opening up possibilities for human life, not merely physical movements or as a means to achieve a particular end. Actions arise from relationships with others and assume the existence of others. Through action, we can express our own thoughts, understand the thoughts of others, and collaborately shape the world. Arendt pointed out that the totalitarian regime destroyed humanity by robbing this public nature and freedom of action.

The "public spaces" she emphasizes are becoming increasingly important in modern society. We can easily connect with others in a digitalized society, but at the same time we are losing the opportunity to express our views and seriously interact with others. Communication on social media and the Internet can sometimes be limited to places where people can assert themselves or collect information, and it can be difficult to create true dialogue and actions. Arendt warned about this situation and called for the need for us to regain "publicity" and reconstruct "freedom of action." We can restore human life by valuing dialogue with others, expressing our opinions, and working together to tackle social issues.

Hannah Arendt's Jewish identity

Arendt's Jewish identity is also an important factor in understanding her ideas. As a Jew, who experienced Nazi persecution, she took a deep look at the Jewish issue. She viewed Jewishness as a part of self-awareness rather than as an external imposed object, and delved deep into Jewish history and culture. Arendt advocated the need for Jews to reconstruct their identity, not merely as victims, but as subjects of history. Her ideas not only pose a question of discrimination and prejudice, but also the question of how Jews themselves face their own history and carve out the future.

Through her early work, Rachel Warnhagen, Arendt looked at Jewish identity and relationships with society through the way Jewish women live. This work depicts how Jewish women were alienated and attempted to establish themselves within society. Arendt suggested that Jewish identity is formed in social circumstances and in relation to others.

Perspectives in Education: The Politicism and the Power to Renew the World

Arendt's ideas also provide important suggestions in education. She viewed education as a place where not only conveys past knowledge and experiences, but also fosters the ability for the next generation to open up a new era. She placed importance on developing children's ability to think and act freely in education. Arendt criticized progressive education and advocated education that would support the child's own self-independence rather than suppressing the child's spontaneity.

She believed that education should play a role in allowing children to learn about past knowledge and experiences, but not be bound by it, to create new perspectives and ways of thinking. "Spontaneity," which she emphasized, refers to the ability of children to think for themselves, make their own judgments, and take responsibility for their actions. Arendt believed that through education, the next generation could reexamine the rules and mechanisms of society and build a better future.

Arendt and the present: Questions in the digital age

Arendt's ideas are becoming increasingly important in modern society, especially in increasingly digitalized societies. This is because the totalitarian structure of domination she warned is also reshaping in modern technological societies. Big data and AI's collection and analysis of personal information has the potential to monitor and manage our actions, and can threaten individual freedom. Communication on social media and the Internet has the potential to connect us with others, while also creating division.

Arendt's ideas pose the question of how we should deal with digital technology and how we should use it. She has advocated the need for us to maintain "publicity" and ensure "freedom of action" even in a digitalized society. We need to wisely use digital technology not just as a tool, but as a means to expand the possibilities of human life.

summary

Hannah Arendt's ideas provide an important perspective on understanding modern society, delving deep into universal themes such as totalitarianism, evil, freedom, and publicity. Her ideas are not merely theories, but they affect our real life and everyday choices, and will continue to become more important. Her legacy of writing and philosophy should be a compass for us to learn lessons from the past and build a better future. Arendt's questions will inspire us to think deeply about what each of us can do to ensure that we are always responsible for our thoughts and actions and to build a more human society.

Shokey Hayashi

Exorcist/Radionics Technique Researcher

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Born in Aomori Prefecture in 1965, he has been suffering from troubles, illnesses and injuries caused by spiritual phenomena since childhood. However, one day, when he was 20 years old, he attended an event, had a mysterious experience at the venue, and was hit by lightning energy from the heavens, as if piercing the spinal cord from his brain, and his psychic abilities blossomed. He then began studying psychology and psychiatry, and now he has combined psychiatry and consciousness engineering. Established "Radionics exorcism" using our own radionics techniques. "It's possible to treat your fortune" beyond exorcism, memorial service, and healing.