The Life of the Mind (Combined 2 Volumes in 1) (Vols 1&2) [Paperback]

Hannah Arendt (Author), Mary McCarthy (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Combined 2 Volumes in 1 | Publication Date: March 16, 1981

The author’s final work, presented in a one-volume edition, is a rich, challenging analysis of man’s mental activity, considered in terms of thinking, willing, and judging. Edited by Mary McCarthy; Indices.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MARY MCCARTHY (1912-1989) was a short-story writer, bestselling novelist, essayist, and critic. She was the author of The Stones of Florence and Birds of America, among other books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 540 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (March 16, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156519925
• ISBN-13: 978-0156519922
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) taught political science and philosophy at The New School for Social Research in New York and the University of Chicago. Widely acclaimed as a brilliant and original thinker, her works include Eichmann in Jerusalem and The Human Condition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible., October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Life of the Mind (Combined 2 Volumes in 1) (Vols 1&2) (Paperback)

This book does so much in such a small space. It is at once an introduction to much of Western philosophy and an original treatise on many fundamental philosophical questions. Like her other books, Arendt focuses here more on philosophy as it applies to a person rather than more theoretical matters such as metaphysics. Everybody should read this book. I had it for a sophomore-level philosophy class, and I have found myself coming back to it time and time again for the next 8 years.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophically speaking, this is Arendt at her best., August 20, 2005

By 

G. Koufeldt (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Life of the Mind (Combined 2 Volumes in 1) (Vols 1&2) (Paperback)

In her typical straight-to-the-point style of writing, Arendt explores some of the most philosophically important questions asked since antiquity. She guides us through the ages of development on topics such as freewill, time, and Being. She is one of the most important thinkers, not of the 20th century, but of all "time". This is Arendt for the philosopher/thinker, not the political scientist. From Heraclitus to Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Arendt leaves no great thinker's stone unturned. I've read a lot of books, and this is probably one of the most important. Does she give us any answers to these important questions? NO. However, she shows that there are no answers to these questions, only better questions to be asked.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A few thoughts on Arendt's thinking about thinking, March 2, 2005

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Life of the Mind (Combined 2 Volumes in 1) (Vols 1&2) (Paperback)

It seems to me that Hannah Arendt's thought is at its strongest( and also its weakest) when it does not confine itself to the world of pure metaphysical abstraction, but rather addresses historical realities and concepts. The Arendt of 'The Origins of Tolitarianism' and of 'The Human Condition' brings a tremendous power of thought to the analysis of phenomena of the real world. In this work there is primarily ' thinking about thinking' and the connection with historical realities, individual personalities is not central. Therefore the reading of the work it seems to me becomes more an exercise in that metaphysical abstract never- never land where nothing can be firmly affirmed or falsified.
It thus seems to me that this text is best read as a kind of poetic inspirational work, that does provide understanding and insight into thinking and the world of the mind, but which does not fundamentally provide ' truth'. My guess is Arendt would greatly object to this definition of her enterprise. And my sense is that in this work what she was really trying to do is make her bid to be among those system- producers who stand at the center of the long philosophical tradition in the West.
I say this when I myself find Arendt an exalted and inspiring thinker, one who inspires me to thought of my own. I will just bring one passage, in my opinion, a key one from the work so that the reader can have a feel of what she is doing.

"If thinking is an activity that is its own end and if the only adequate metaphor for it, drawn from our ordinary sense experience, is the sensation of being alive, then it follows that all questions concerning the aim or purpose of thinking are as unaswerable as questions about the aim or purpose of life."