"The most striking difference between the ancient and modern sophists is that the ancients were satisfied with a passing victory of the argument at the expense of truth, whereas the moderns want a more lasting victory at the expense of reality. In other words, one destroyed the dignity of human thought whereas the others destroy the dignity of human action. The old manipulators of logic were the concern of the philosopher, whereas the modern manipulators of facts stand in the way of the historian. For history itself is destroyed, and its comprehensibility— based upon the fact that it is enacted by men and therefore can be understood by men— is in danger, whenever facts are no longer held to be part and parcel of the past and present world, and are misused to prove this or that opinion."

History Communism Historians Ideology

From

Historian

Added on

About Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt was a German-born political theorist and historian known for her analyses of totalitarianism, authority, and modern political life. Born in 1906, she became one of the most influential political thinkers of the twentieth century through works such as The Origins of Totalitarianism and The Human Condition. She died in New York on 1975-12-04.

Born:

Died:

View all quotes from Hannah Arendt