In 1958, the book The Human Condition was published. It was the first time the entire world was exposed to the thoughts and philosophies of Hannah Arendt. She was a German-born American political theorist who escaped Germany during the Holocaust. In this book, she introduced the term “vita activa” (active life), as opposed to “vita contemplativa” (contemplative life), which represented her understanding of Western society. She maintained that there are only three human activities: labor, work, and action.
Ada Ushpiz’s “Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt” exposes us to her very controversial writings about the Holocaust and specifically to the way she covered the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. Ushpiz uses interviews with people from all over the political and philosophical spectrum to discuss their opinions of Arendt in conjunction with historical footage of Arendt speaking and footage of Nazi Germany and the trial of Eichmann.
“Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil”, which began originally as an article for The New Yorker, caused a firestorm, especially among Jews. While attending the trial, she coined the term “desk murderer” to describe Eichmann, making him out to be an ordinary person who was merely following orders, similar to the claims of many Nazis after the war. Lots of people went into a fury over her not just looking at all of it as anti-Semitism and nothing else.
In a 1964 interview, Arendt said of Eichmann: “His inability to speak was connected to his inability to think.” Her “banality of evil” description (a term she coined) of Eichmann caused many to hate her. Some now considered her anti-Semitic, or at the very least anti-Zionist. Her reputation and personal relationships with colleagues, and some friends, never recovered.
Ushpiz’s profile of Arendt presents all of it without taking a moral stand about her opinions. She leaves it up to us to make our own decision. I’m not quite sure of my opinion of her, in regards to her politics and philosophy, but she was most definitely exceedingly bright. This material may sound a tad dry, but it is not. It’s quite a journey through the mind of a true thinker and Ushpiz puts her spirit is on full display.
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