Aporias within Arendt’s The Human Condition: Finding the light at the end of the tunnel
We investigate, semantically and philosophically, the English language edition of Hannah Arendt’s ‘The human condition’. Our approach connects Arendt’s focus on activity and action with occupational science. We suggest that an engagement with the human condition from a perspective of occupation m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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ORDT: Organization for Research Development and Training
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Interdisciplinary Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://journalofinterdisciplinarysciences.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1-Aporias-within-Arendt%E2%80%99s-The-Human-Condition-Finding-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.pdf |
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| author | David J. Turnbull Ross T. Barnard |
| author_facet | David J. Turnbull Ross T. Barnard |
| author_sort | David J. Turnbull |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We investigate, semantically and philosophically, the English language edition of Hannah
Arendt’s ‘The human condition’. Our approach connects Arendt’s focus on activity and action with
occupational science. We suggest that an engagement with the human condition from a perspective of
occupation may be of great value in facilitating an understanding of the place of human occupation in
the rapidly changing modern world. Before such a project can be undertaken it is crucial that this
work of Arendt be understood. Barriers to understanding this work have been glossed over by many of
her interpreters. Our starting point is to clarify Arendt’s use of the word ‘condition’ in various
contexts in the English language edition of ‘The human condition’. This can have a critical influence
on meaning. By semantic analysis we show how Arendt has conflated the different types of conditions
associated with doing and being, respectively (that is, conditions “of” and conditions “for”). We offer
a solution to Arendt’s aporetic formulations that occur in the opening pages of her text. The way we
make sense of Arendt’s thought is to distinguish between D-conditions relating to forms of activity and
B-conditions that pertain to the being of human beings. Our semantic suggestions clear the way to
conduct an interdisciplinary inquiry into the human condition which draws on Arendt, but is broader
in scope than Arendt’s project, which was primarily an historical inquiry into the vita activa in the
predominantly Western world. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-099bfdda1cbd475f8824000cf643199e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2594-3405 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | ORDT: Organization for Research Development and Training |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Interdisciplinary Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-099bfdda1cbd475f8824000cf643199e2025-08-20T02:59:50ZengORDT: Organization for Research Development and TrainingJournal of Interdisciplinary Sciences2594-34052023-05-0171112Aporias within Arendt’s The Human Condition: Finding the light at the end of the tunnelDavid J. Turnbull0Ross T. Barnard1The School of Chemistry and Molecular BiosciencesThe University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaWe investigate, semantically and philosophically, the English language edition of Hannah Arendt’s ‘The human condition’. Our approach connects Arendt’s focus on activity and action with occupational science. We suggest that an engagement with the human condition from a perspective of occupation may be of great value in facilitating an understanding of the place of human occupation in the rapidly changing modern world. Before such a project can be undertaken it is crucial that this work of Arendt be understood. Barriers to understanding this work have been glossed over by many of her interpreters. Our starting point is to clarify Arendt’s use of the word ‘condition’ in various contexts in the English language edition of ‘The human condition’. This can have a critical influence on meaning. By semantic analysis we show how Arendt has conflated the different types of conditions associated with doing and being, respectively (that is, conditions “of” and conditions “for”). We offer a solution to Arendt’s aporetic formulations that occur in the opening pages of her text. The way we make sense of Arendt’s thought is to distinguish between D-conditions relating to forms of activity and B-conditions that pertain to the being of human beings. Our semantic suggestions clear the way to conduct an interdisciplinary inquiry into the human condition which draws on Arendt, but is broader in scope than Arendt’s project, which was primarily an historical inquiry into the vita activa in the predominantly Western world. https://journalofinterdisciplinarysciences.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1-Aporias-within-Arendt%E2%80%99s-The-Human-Condition-Finding-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.pdfarendthuman conditionvita activaaporiasworld alienation |
| spellingShingle | David J. Turnbull Ross T. Barnard Aporias within Arendt’s The Human Condition: Finding the light at the end of the tunnel Journal of Interdisciplinary Sciences arendt human condition vita activa aporias world alienation |
| title | Aporias within Arendt’s The Human Condition: Finding the light at the end of the tunnel |
| title_full | Aporias within Arendt’s The Human Condition: Finding the light at the end of the tunnel |
| title_fullStr | Aporias within Arendt’s The Human Condition: Finding the light at the end of the tunnel |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aporias within Arendt’s The Human Condition: Finding the light at the end of the tunnel |
| title_short | Aporias within Arendt’s The Human Condition: Finding the light at the end of the tunnel |
| title_sort | aporias within arendt s the human condition finding the light at the end of the tunnel |
| topic | arendt human condition vita activa aporias world alienation |
| url | https://journalofinterdisciplinarysciences.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1-Aporias-within-Arendt%E2%80%99s-The-Human-Condition-Finding-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT davidjturnbull aporiaswithinarendtsthehumanconditionfindingthelightattheendofthetunnel AT rosstbarnard aporiaswithinarendtsthehumanconditionfindingthelightattheendofthetunnel |