Trabalho e banalidade do mal em Hannah Arendt : a vitória do animal laborans como condição do mal banal

Abstract

This thesis investigates Hannah Arendt’s theoretical framework to examine the relationship between modernity, alienation, and the emergence of the “banality of evil.” Drawing on The Human Condition, it explores the dynamics of the vita activa—labor, work, and action—highlighting the historical ascendancy of labor and its implications for the erosion of public space, the weakening of plurality, and the prevalence of alienation. In dialogue with Eichmann in Jerusalem, the research connects the triumph of the animal laborans to the phenomenon of the banality of evil, understood as the absence of critical thinking and responsibility exemplified in Adolf Eichmann. The study advances the hypothesis that the predominance of the animal laborans, centered on production and consumption, creates the conditions for ethical abdication and social isolation, which extend beyond totalitarianism to define key features of modern society. To substantiate this claim, the analysis proceeds in three stages: first, it clarifies the concept of the vita activa and the subordination of political action to labor; second, it investigates the effects of this shift on the faculties of mind—thinking, willing, and judging—arguing that their subjection to the logic of labor undermines reflection, freedom, and moral responsibility; third, it demonstrates how the banality of evil is rooted in the solitude and disconnection that accompany the dominance of the animal laborans. The thesis concludes that the victory of the animal laborans poses a threat to both freedom and responsibility, underscoring the urgency of reestablishing a balance between the vita activa and the vita contemplativa. By revisiting Arendt’s reflections, this work contributes to contemporary debates on alienation, isolation, and the risks of a society that prioritizes labor over critical thought and political action.