L.127.15370 Between Philosophy and Politics: Hannah Arendt’s Exercises in Political Thinking

Lehrende: Maria Anna Robaszkiewicz

Veranstaltungsart: Seminar

Orga-Einheit: Philosophie

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Unterrichtssprache: Englisch

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Literatur:
H. Arendt, Between Past and Future. Eights Exercises in Political Thought, Penguin 2006;
H. Arendt, The Life of the Mind, Harcourt 1981;
H. Arendt, Responsibility and Judgment, Schoken Books 2003.

Kommentar:
The working language of this seminar is English. Your English doesn’t have to be flawless, though. Eagerness to take active part in the discussion is valued more than language proficiency.

According to Hannah Arendt, our world is in the state of crisis. Her major concern has always been the world as a public space that is being shared by people who inhabit it. The quality of this world and its sustainability outweighed egoistic goals of particular persons. To be sure, it was not about the collective against the individual, but about the fact, that men are by nature political beings and as such, realize their humanity through acting in concert with the others, with whom they share the common world. That is why, when the shared world experiences a crisis, common acting for its sake should become the essential aim of its inhabitants.

Under the condition of such a crisis, the element of acting must be reinforced by the reflective element of thinking. But if thinking and acting are – as Arendt wants it – distinct practices, what does she actually mean by political thinking? What could be the benefit of thinking for a political agent, who bases his activity upon his power to begin something new through spontaneous deeds? Why should we need the philosophical reflection in our acting and how can we make use of it? These questions will form the core interest of this seminar.