This inability to think created the possibility for many ordinary men to commit evil deeds on a gigantic scale

Hannah Arendt
Directed by Margarthe von Trotta
Zeitgeist Films 06/13 Feature Film
Not Rated


 "Thinking is a lonely business."
— Philosopher Martin Heidegger


The film's high point is a speech that Arendt gives to students in which she salutes the art of thinking and laments the consequences of unthinking:
"This inability to think created the possibility for many ordinary men to commit evil deeds on a gigantic scale, the like of which had never been seen before. The manifestation of the wind of thought is not knowledge but the ability to tell right from wrong, beautiful from ugly. And I hope that thinking gives people the strength to prevent catastrophes in these rare moments when the chips are down."

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