Onion (Arendt)

This article is about the philosophical metaphor. For other uses, see Onion (disambiguation).

The onion metaphor is a metaphor used by the philosopher Hannah Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951). It is used to provide an example of the underlying structure that characterizes the organization of totalitarianism.

## Background

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Hannah Arendt was a philosopher accustomed to using metaphors. Among other things, she advocated for their use in philosophical reflection in her Journal of Thoughts.[1] In The Origins of Totalitarianism, Arendt explored the question of totalitarianism – how these types of regimes form, evolve, exist, and perish.[2] She also examined the differences between totalitarianism and other forms of political systems, such as autocratic regimes.[2][3][4]

## Metaphor

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In this context, Arendt uses the metaphor of the onion to represent the structure of totalitarian systems.[2][5][6] This metaphor illustrates an organized structure centered around a central point, the leader of the totalitarian system.[2] She contrasts this structure with other types, such as the pyramid-like structures of autocracy or tyranny.[7][8] This depiction reveals that totalitarianism evolves in "waves", spreading through different layers of society.[9] The closer one is to the center, the more radicalized they are, whereas those closer to the periphery are less radicalized.[7] With this example, Arendt also exposes the dual nature of totalitarian organizations, possessing two faces—one presented to the external world, appearing normal, and another turned inward, radicalized.[7]

The metaphor is described by researchers like Sophie Schulze as follows:[10]

> For Arendt, the onion structure designates two distinct things: one, that power diffuses from the center to the periphery (centrifugal movement); the other, that each circle maintains itself through the balance between two opposing forces.

This structure also enables totalitarian regimes to absorb shocks from the external reality of the system.[11] Each layer of the onion absorbs a bit of the shockwave, ultimately rendering the contact with external reality harmless. This occurs despite the contradictions with the practical and scientific lies propagated by totalitarian regimes.[11][12]

## Legacy

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The use of the metaphor was deemed relevant when discussing, among other things, the USSR under Stalin, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan.[13] The notion that this structure helps totalitarian regimes avoid 'external reality shocks' is also considered an important concept in psychology.[11]

## See also

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* Onion model

## References

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1. ^ Blumenthal-Barby, Martin (2009). ""The Odium of Doubtfulness"; or, The Vicissitudes of Metaphorical Thinking". New German Critique. 36 (106): 61–81\. doi:10.1215/0094033X-2008-021. ISSN 0094-033X. JSTOR 27669255. Archived from the original on 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
2. ^ a b c d Betz, Joseph (1992). "An Introduction to the Thought of Hannah Arendt". Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society. 28 (3): 379–422\. ISSN 0009-1774. JSTOR 40320369. Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
3. ^ Quarterly, Social Research An Int'l (2002-07-01). "HANNAH ARENDT'S THE ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM: Fifty Years Later / Vo". socres. Archived from the original on 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
4. ^ Devlin, Nicholas (2023). "Hannah Arendt and Marxist Theories of Totalitarianism". Modern Intellectual History. 20 (1): 247–269\. doi:10.1017/S1479244321000603. ISSN 1479-2443.
5. ^ Chaput, Sylvie (1982). "Hannah Arendt : la nécessité historique est une superstition". Nuit Blanche (in French) (7): 36–37\. ISSN 0823-2490. Archived from the original on 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
6. ^ Tassin, Étienne (1997). "Hannah Arendt Et La Spécificité Du Totalitarisme". Revue Française d'Histoire des Idées Politiques (6): 367–388\. ISSN 1266-7862. JSTOR 24610297. Archived from the original on 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
7. ^ a b c "La structure de l'organisation totalitaire est celle d'un oignon, dont chaque couche a une face radicale tournée vers le centre et une face normale tournée vers l'extérieur". www.idixa.net. Archived from the original on 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
8. ^ Ménissier, Thierry (2016), Comment assumer l'inconsistance du réel ? Penser avec Arendt la crise de l'autorité politique moderne (in French), Presses Universitaires de France, archived from the original on 2024-02-17, retrieved 2024-02-18
9. ^ Featherstone, Mark (2020). "Towards a Bureaucracy of the Body". New Formations: A Journal of Culture/Theory/Politics. 100 (100): 97–113\. doi:10.3898/Newf:100-101.07.2020. ISSN 1741-0789.
10. ^ Hannah Arendt, les juristes et le concept de totalitarisme. Éditions Kimé. 2020-12-01. doi:10.3917/kime.schul.2020.01. ISBN 978-2-84174-989-8. Archived from the original on 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
11. ^ a b c Aschheim, Steven E. (1997). "Nazism, Culture and The Origins of Totalitarianism: Hannah Arendt and the Discourse of Evil". New German Critique (70): 117. doi:10.2307/488501. JSTOR 488501. Archived from the original on 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
12. ^ O'sullivan, N. K. (1973). "Politics, Totalitarianism and Freedom: The Political Thought of Hannah Arendt". Political Studies. 21 (2): 183–198\. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.1973.tb01427.x. ISSN 0032-3217. Archived from the original on 2024-02-18. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
13. ^ Monnet, Livia (2001). Approches critiques de la pensée japonaise du xxe siècle (in French). Presses de l’Université de Montréal. doi:10.4000/books.pum.19848. ISBN 978-2-7606-1784-1. Archived from the original on 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-02-18.

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