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The Vita Activa and the Vita Contemplativa

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Abstract

In Arendt’s view, human activities are divisible into two broad categories, namely the practical and the theoretical. The former are concerned with ‘doing’ and entail ‘active engagement’ with the world; the latter are concerned with ‘understanding’ the world.1 Arendt uses the terms vita activa and vita contemplativa to describe the ways of life devoted respectively to the pursuits of the two types of activities.

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© 1981 Bhikhu Parekh

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Parekh, B. (1981). The Vita Activa and the Vita Contemplativa. In: Hannah Arendt and the Search for a New Political Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-05747-4_5

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