汉娜·阿伦特是二十世纪最伟大也极具争议的政治哲学家之一。她的哲学思想既受到其师雅思贝尔斯的影响，也是对海德格尔哲学的一种回应。经历了纳粹大屠杀之后，她从对极权主义的思考出发，发展出一系列丰富的哲学理论，其中行动理论扮演了最重要的角色。 行动概念是阿伦特政治理论的核心要素，也是阿伦特用以抵御极权主义的最有效武器之一。二十世纪德国纳粹的残酷暴行以及战后对纳粹战犯的审判促使阿伦特不断反思那个时代爆发这种罪行的原因。本文第一章将从历史和文化两个角度，阐述阿伦特行动理论建立的历史背景。从历史角度来讲，由于大多数人没有联合起来反抗强权的意识，以至于他们在纳粹统治时期失去了为权利和自由而战的机会，变成单个的沉默的人；文化上，阿伦特批判地继承了亚里士多德、马克思等人的理论观点，通过反对传统哲学中对行动的拒斥和压制，论证了行动在哲学中具有与理论同等重要的地位。 阿伦特的行动建立在人的复数性之上，是一种政治性的行动。本文第二章将阐述阿伦特行动观的具体内容。针对原子式的个人，阿伦特主张恢复政治的公共领域，为复数性的人提供言和行的场所。行动构成了具体的事件，事件构成了历史。复数性的人是历史的演员，但却从来不是历史的剧作者。行动一旦发起，就连发起人也无法预测和掌控它的发展趋势，因为行动由无数处于公共领域中的人共同作用而形成，具有不可预测性，不可逆性以及责任者的匿名性。但是阿伦特认为，通过承诺和宽恕，可以在一定程度上弥补行动的脆弱性。 每一次行动都是一次新的开始，去行动同时意味着有行动的意愿和能力，因此，行动与自由也是同一的。然而，阿伦特的行动观也包含一些内在的困境，并遭到各方的批评。行动共同体如何维持，行动与自由、道德、思想之间具有何种关系，这些是本文第三章将要阐述的问题。 如阿伦特所言：“某些人似乎活在自己的生命里（仅仅活在自己的生命里，而不是——比方说——活在人群里），他们如此坦呈，因而成为了生命的十字路口，成为了具体物化的生命。”行动需要勇气和思想，行动意味着生活在人群中间。诚然，阿伦特的行动理论不是完美无缺的，但正是这种有待进一步讨论的理论才能引发越来越多的人去关注，去思考。它不再是哲学家沉默的独白，它渴望的正是不同的意见和声音。

Hannah Arendt is one of the most great philosophers in the twentieth century. Her political thought is not only effected by Karl Jaspers but also a response to the claims of Heidegger. Based on the consideration of totalitarianism, Arendt develops a host of important theories, the theory of action is the most essential one.Action, as far as Arendt concerned, is the core conception of politics, which is also the most effective weapon to fight with totalitarianism. The atrocity of Nazi and the trial of Nazi offenders after World War II induce Arendt to reflect totalitarianism. The first paragraph of this essay will introduce the background of society and politics in that period. On the one hand, most people lost the awareness of political action and became isolated. On the other hand, based on the reflection of Aristotle and Marx, Arendt claims that action has the same power as theory even if the traditional philosopher is inclined to belittle action. Arendtian action is a new kind of political action based on plurality. The second chapter will systematically elaborate the action theory. Because the isolated people lose their rights to resist political evil, Arendt proposes to recover the public realm in which people can freely express themselves. Action creates the concrete events which then constitute the history. The human beings are not the librettist of history but just the actor. Action can not be controlled or predicted once it happens since it created by thousands of people who unite in the public realm, and because action is unpredictable, nonreversible and anonymous. Promises and forgiveness, to some extent, can compensate for this uncertainty of action.Action represents a new start, to act means to be free. Therefore, action is freedom. Arendt's theory of action also contains some predicaments which suffer from various criticism, such as, how to sustain the collective action in public sphere, how to reconcile the tension between action, morality and mind. These works will be done in the third chapter.As Arendt said: "someone seems to live in his own world and not live with others." Courage and mind are essential for political action. It is undeniable that Arendt's theory of action is not perfect but it inspires more and more theorists to rethink. What Arendt wants to tell us is that action is not depressive monologue but desires for different precious opinions.