The Life Of The Mind

Arendt proposes that there are three types of mental processes, and each is autonomous and separate from one another: Thinking, willing, and judging. Each has its own place, and none is of a higher order than the other. Each adheres to its own set of laws but is dependent upon one another. The quantifier for each activity is its invisibility. While it has a relationship with the world of appearances, it requires a retreat from appearance. Thinking manifests itself outwardly, but it is an activity that happens out of sight. It is neither good nor evil, but it is fundamentally dangerous.

Arendt reminds readers that the mind is different from the soul. In the soul, there is a flurry of passions and feelings that we do not enact; rather, they happen to us. An example of this is anger: If a person is angry in their soul, then they might outwardly show that anger in the world of appearances through gestures and body language. The words we speak about our anger are a result of the process of thinking—they require reflection, no matter how quick that reflection might be. Therefore, thinking is an authentic semblance.