The many influences on Arendt

Arendt is good at giving a history of philosophy to help explain the background of her thought and where it develops from. In this section talking about Kant's reevaluation of metaphysics, it is clear that reason, thinking, and truth will all come together to show the banality of evil. We are beginning to discuss absentmindedness and see how "thinking" and "not thinking" can go on simultaneously until someone who is intelligent could also be considered thoughtless. The types of truth that also come from different types of thinking could also have an impact. As I begin to read "What is Called Thinking," it becomes clear what influence he has had as well. His first lecture in the series dives right into why and what we think. All of these influences contribute a piece to the puzzle Arendt is systematically laying out in "The Life of the Mind".