Human Condition
The characteristics, key events, and situations which compose the essentials of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotion, aspiration, conflict, and mortality. In this context, it refers to the perpetual human desire for 'more,' which drives market frenzies and speculation regardless of regulations.
First Mentioned
10/17/2025, 4:48:34 AM
Last Updated
10/17/2025, 4:53:07 AM
Research Retrieved
10/17/2025, 4:53:07 AM
Summary
The human condition encompasses the fundamental characteristics and events of human life, such as birth, learning, emotions, aspirations, reason, morality, conflict, and death. This broad topic is explored through various lenses, including art, biology, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religion, often delving into ambiguous subjects like the meaning of life and moral concerns. The concept is also crucial for understanding cyclical phenomena, such as market booms and busts, where the inherent "desire for more" drives speculative bubbles, as seen in the lead-up to the 1929 Stock Market Crash and potentially in contemporary investments like AI, raising questions about the sufficiency of modern regulations.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Scope
A broad topic pondered and analyzed from many perspectives.
Definition
The characteristics and key events of human life, including birth, learning, emotion, aspiration, reason, morality, conflict, and death.
Literary Context
Typically used in the context of ambiguous subjects, such as the meaning of life or moral concerns.
Key Aspect (Economic Context)
The desire for more, driving market cycles and speculation.
Core Concepts (Existentialism)
Awareness of suffering and death, understanding of evil and sin, recognition of a transcendent intelligent being.
Fundamental Human Activities (Hannah Arendt)
Labor, work, and action.
Timeline
- A major shift began with organizations like General Motors pioneering Consumer Credit, changing the American aversion to debt, which contributed to the speculative bubble leading to the 1929 crash, driven by the human condition's 'desire for more'. (Source: Related Document)
1919
- Existentialism, a philosophical perspective deeply engaged with the human condition, began to be popularized by thinkers like Heidegger and Husserl. (Source: Web Search)
1920
- The Stock Market Crash occurred, an event where the 'desire for more' (a key aspect of the human condition) fueled a speculative bubble, leading to economic catastrophe. (Source: Related Document)
1929
- André Malraux's novel, 'La condition humaine', a significant work exploring the human condition, was published. (Source: Web Search)
1933
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaHuman condition
The human condition can be defined as the characteristics and key events of human life, including birth, learning, emotion, aspiration, reason, morality, conflict, and death. This is a very broad topic that has been and continues to be pondered and analyzed from many perspectives, including those of art, biology, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religion. As a literary term, "human condition" is typically used in the context of ambiguous subjects, such as the meaning of life or moral concerns.
Web Search Results
- The human condition - Hektoen International
The human condition is the “totality of the experiences of being human and living human lives.”1 The exposition of this idea has occupied philosophers from the beginning, but more recently has been examined as an aspect of existentialism. Heidegger, and to a lesser extent Husserl, the phenomenologist, are credited with popularizing existentialism in the 1920’s and 30’s. Highlights of the movement were André Malraux’s novel (1933) La condition humaine,2 René Magritte’s paintings of the same [...] Perhaps most notable was Hannah Arendt’s book of the same title: The Human Condition.4 Dr. Arendt, in that classic book, posits “labor, work, and action” as the three fundamental human activities. She defines labor as “the biological process of the human body,” work as providing the “artificial world of things,” and action “as the condition of political life.”5 These bear only a remote resemblance to St. Thomas’ four human needs (preservation, reproduction, truth, and society)6 or Maslow’s [...] Perhaps more fundamental concepts, inherent in the human condition, make us unique in all creation, including: 1. foremost, an awareness of the inevitability of suffering and death, or more generally, our material contingency, 2. an understanding of evil and sin, and 3. the recognition of a transcendent intelligent being who intervenes in human affairs. Moreover, increasing recognition of the human condition as we age often prompts reflection upon, and an examination of, one’s life.
- Human condition - Wikipedia
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia ## Contents # Human condition The human condition can be defined as the characteristics and key events of human life, including birth, learning, emotion, aspiration, reason, morality, conflict, and death. This is a very broad topic that has been and continues to be pondered and analyzed from many perspectives, including those of art, biology, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religion. [...] As a literary term, "human condition" is typically used in the context of ambiguous subjects, such as the meaning of life or moral concerns. ## Some perspectives [...] Each major religion has definitive beliefs regarding the human condition. For example, Buddhism teaches that existence is a perpetual cycle of suffering, death, and rebirth from which humans can be liberated via the Noble Eightfold Path. Meanwhile, many Christians believe that humans are born in a sinful condition and are doomed in the afterlife unless they receive salvation "Salvation (Christianity)") through Jesus Christ.
- The human condition - Lightbulb Moment
> The human condition is “the characteristics, key events, and situations which compose the essentials of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, and mortality.” > > This is a very broad topic which has been and continues to be pondered and analysed from many perspectives, including those of religion, philosophy, history, art, literature, anthropology, psychology, and biology. > [...] > As a literary term, “the human condition” is typically used in the context of ambiguous subjects such as the meaning of life or moral concerns. [...] Skip to content Book a call # The human condition ByJo Cook As part of the Modern Learning Leader Programme, the first webinar is all about “The Human Condition”, with Emotion at Work expert Phil Willcox. # What is “The Human Condition”? Other than understanding the actual words, I’m not sure what that means. Obviously, the place to start is Google! I thought I might start with an overview of some quotes that have been curated on the topic, including:
- The Human Condition in Literature | Definition & Examples - Lesson
The human condition encompasses all aspects of human nature, such as personality traits, experiences, mortality, and everything in between. Essentially, it's the positive and negative aspects of being human. While the origin of the word is unknown, it dates back to texts found in ancient times. In literature, the human condition is created by the following: Emotions: the feelings in the body Conflict: the external struggles that create an internal struggle within the mind [...] Since humans have complex emotions, and emotions create conflict, it's easy to see how the structure of a story is created. Here lies the foundation of a story that, in turn, captures the essence of the human condition. While all stories feature various characters and conflicts, the underlying themes and emotions can be the same from text to text. In literature, the human condition is the reason for writing. It becomes the essence of a story that the author aims to capture. In one sense, and [...] These aspects of the human condition create the plot arc which structures a story and helps it move forward. In literature, the human condition is typically reflected through themes which are the morals or lessons anyone can comprehend while reading, such as love, violence, oppression, joy, and courage. Study Guide and Test Prep Themes in Literature: Examples and Explanation Image 17: GACE Reading (617) Study Guide and Test Prep Themes in Literature | Definition & Examples
- Final Thoughts on The Human Condition - by Jared Henderson
The Human Condition is often recommended to readers interested in either the philosophy of work or the philosophy of technology; certainly, Arendt has much to say on those matters. We’ve discussed at length the work/labor distinction, and in the background there has always been that lingering question of what our technological world is doing to us. Yet, more than anything – as the chapter on action shows – Arendt’s book is concerned with what it means to do things in the world (ideally, doing [...] > Arendt’s central line of reasoning in The Human Condition is clear (even though many details are not): What constitutes the essence of humanity, what makes us different from all other living organisms, is our capacity to act as unique individuals and among other unique individuals. Modern society, however, has brought about the domination of our active life by animal laborans and the decline of the public sphere. As a result, Man “is on the point of developing into that animal species from [...] Arendt is interested in a question, though perhaps we should say she’s interested in what it means to be human. The meaning of our lives always shifts and changes based on our environment; that’s the conditioning in the human condition. Technology, work, property, privacy — all of this affects what it means to be a human being.
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