The Stranger in Jerusalem: Arendt and the Importance of Philosophical Thought Anonymous College

Philosophy is defined simply by Oxford English Dictionary as “knowledge, learning, scholarship,” but can also be defined as the pursuit of knowledge; whereas philo- means to have a liking of, and –sophy is translated as wisdom (philo, comb. form; sophy, n.2; philosophy, n). If philosophical thinking is thinking to pursue knowledge, then anyone can do it. Socrates said that an “unexamined life is not worth living.” We can learn much about examining our lives from Hannah Arendt in her works Eichmann in Jerusalem and Thinking and Moral Considerations. In her analysis of Adolf Eichmann and his trial in Jerusalem, Arendt advocates philosophical thinking and claims that we should consider all sides of an argument, that philosophy is a form of personal maintenance, and that an unexamined life without philosophical thinking will leave us susceptible to evil.

In considering not only philosophical information, but analyzing everyday information, we should attempt to look at both sides of the given situation. The Israeli court presented in Eichmann in Jerusalem was substantially underdeveloped. The court was unconcerned with Eichmann’s motives, did not care for the reason Eichmann did what he did, and only wanted to dehumanize him in the...