To act and comprehend: the meaning of the event

Abstract

In The Human Condition, Hannah Arendt understands History as a story without author, without beginning, or end, with the abstract concept of humanity as its only protagonist. The heroes of History, who have the courage to speak about themselves beyond the need, act to obtain the glory that can be only achieve through others. Nonetheless, they cannot measure the consequences of their actions, for definition unlimited and incalculable. The only author of the History is the historian, who can comprehend the meaning of the action thanks to the light of the singular event. For Arendt, History is an exercise of comprehension and the historian far from only being a scientist must be a man of action