| Kommentar |
"Now I will admit one thing. I will admit that I am, of course, primarily interested in understanding. This is absolutely true. And, that there are other people who are primarily interested in doing something. I am not. I can very well live without doing anything. But I cannot live without trying at least to understand whatever happens."
(Arendt 1972)
With Hannah Arendt, the course is dedicated to one of the most important political theorists of the 20th century. Her "thinking without a banister" encourages us to take a critical and independent approach to politics, society and our environment that is not based on fixed ideologies or dogmas. The goal of the course is to introduce Arendt's thinking through selected works. To this end, we will look into the following works and aspects, among others.
- We will focus on the definition of humans as political beings between natality and mortality in "The Human Condition". We examine the distinction of vita activa and vita contemplativa, and how this distinction gains significance for political action.
- For "Was ist Politik?" we are concerned with Hannah Arendt's investigation and definition of the political sphere in society. On what principles and values do people organize their coexistence and how can joint political action make a difference?
- In "On Revolution", we analyze Hannah Arendt's thoughts on revolution and political action. We look at the question of how revolutions can be understood historically and philosophically and what role they play in the process of social change.
- Based on "Elements and Origins of Totalitarianism" we will discuss Hannah Arendt's analysis of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century and the nature of power and violence in the modern world.
At a time when political and social issues are becoming increasingly complex, Arendt's thinking continues to help us better interpret our world and bring about change. |
| Literatur |
• Arendt, Hannah. [1951] 1976. The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Schocken.
• Arendt, Hannah. [1958] 1998. The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Arendt, Hannah. [1963] 2006. On Revolution. New York: Viking.
• Arendt, Hannah. 2003. Was ist Politik? Fragmente aus dem Nachlaß. München: Pieper.
• Shklar, Judith N. 2020. Über Hannah Arendt. Berlin: Matthes & Seitz.
• Straßenberger, Grit. 2015. Hannah Arendt zur Einführung. Hamburg: Junius. |
