Publish at May 07 2025 Updated May 07 2025
Many people have the impression, looking at recent events, of seeing a resurgence of the totalitarianism that took place around the 1930s in the 20th century. As a result, the thinking of one philosopher is back in the spotlight: that of Hannah Arendt.
Having herself had to flee the Nazi regime in Germany in 1933 and occupied France in 1940, she witnessed the rise and fall of these regimes. Her thinking is therefore built around this phenomenon. First of all, she differentiates totalitarianism from dictatorship in that it seeks to seize all social elements and individuals and isolate them by creating a climate of conspiracy and paranoia.
Next, she talks about the fact that alienating work has led to the banality of evil. For her, in a normal society, work leads to work (i.e. concrete traces) and action, which enables individuals to rise. Nowadays, however, and even then, the emphasis is solely on work, leading humans to become "animal laborans", incapable of transcending themselves. Which, of course, totalitarian rulers love. So, to get by, everything relies on action or activity, forcing us to confront other people, to reveal ourselves and discover them, in order to build a common world.
Running time: 4min36
Learn more about this resource
You might also like:
Koam, playing with balanced nutrition
A veritable showcase for public health, Koam was developed by Nutrikeo, a consulting firm specializing in nutritional strategies. Supported by BPI France, the Nouvelle Aquitaine region and Europe, Koam is the result of two years' work by a team of leading specialists in nutrition, childhood, pedagogy, sociology, digital and behavioral theory.
Learn the mechanisms of misinformation with Bad News
Understand the strategies of online disinformation through an interactive experience that puts you in the shoes of a fake news propagator.
Tests of vigilance and attention
Measuring attention remains a concern in many settings. Some work tasks are not very error tolerant. Here are a series of sample tests to measure attention in children and adults.
The Englishes MOOC course was developed by an artist and is designed for anyone interested in the (English) language. It explores the history of English, its pronunciation, and its relationship to the art world.
A fun game about heredity and genetics - Welcome to Thingdom
How do you talk to children about genetics and heredity? A British museum has come up with the method: design a game in which you create a line of adorable creatures with precise objectives. The game is fun, colorful and easy to learn. Even adults will succumb to the charms of the bugs and their large families.
