229. A hint of Arendt

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The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt

Harcourt, originally published 1971

Wow! Is this a book I want to read. The Introduction alone could be a semester philosophy class. I don't even mind her talk about the "death of philosophy and metaphysics," since she also covers the death of "God." Like Disco, none of these concepts will ever really die.

A key part of the introduction is her re-translation of Kant's "verstand" to mean "intellect" not "understanding." I have to read this at least one more time. I'm not sure I agree with her on this or with where she's going with this, but this is the reason I think it's wise to pick the best translator rather than to try to learn a language and do an indifferent (at best) job yourself. Since she's started out with so much about the usual 19th century Germans, and, not surprisingly, Heidegger, I can't wait to see if she can help me understand what he's about.

It's not surprising, you could almost say it is on the banal side, that she starts by talking about the "banality of evil." It is interesting to see her parse that phrase. One thinks one knows what she meant, but of course she actually meant more... or at least the phrase came to mean more to her.

     

The gig economy

This being San Francisco, I can't walk to Peet's without seeing a couple ads for the latest start-up bringing something or other (or anything at all) to your door. What struck me today, for some reason, is that in many ways this is a return to the past. Think of all the "independent contractors" of the past who would bring vegetables or ice or pots and pans to your door no matter where you were. Or they would sharpen your knives or provide other services. The best literary record I know of that era, is when Proust writes about all the street vendors he could hear from the window of Marcel's parent's house in Paris.

It's like we are in some sort of cycle. All those people with their push carts or horse drawn wagons disappeared long ago due to the world wars or changes in the economy. But now the streets here are filled with bicycles carting coffee beans or meals or Goat knows what all over town, while there are probably even more cars stealthily doing the same thing. You can use an app to find a person to change a light bulb or walk your dog. I'm not sure I would call it progress, but as work goes, these jobs are probably better than many others in the service or even manufacturing sector.