Origin and Essence: The Problem of History in Hannah Arendt

Problems pertaining to origins and beginnings are integral to Hannah Arendt's reflections on politics and history. From The Origins of Totalitarianism to The Life of the Mind, Arendt sought to understand the nature of beginnings and the novelty of historical phenomena. This paper explores the relationship between Arendt's approach to history and her understanding of origins, which it juxtaposes with conceptions of the origin in the thought of Charles Darwin, Martin Heidegger, and Karl Jaspers. It also examines her ideas on freedom and contingency, and draws out the challenges of reconciling her political philosophy with the writing of history.