This work presents both the range of Arendt's political thought and the patterns of controversy it has elicited. The essays are arranged in six parts around important themes in Arendt's work: totalitarianism and evil; narrative and history; the public world and personal identity; action and power; justice, equality, and democracy; and thinking and judging. Despite such thematic diversity, virtually all the contributors have made an effort to build bridges between interest-driven politics and Arendt's Hellenic/existential politics. Although some are quite critical of the way Arendt develops her theory, most sympathize with her project of rescuing politics from both the foreshortening glance of the philosopher and its assimilation to social and biological processes. This volume treats Arendt's work as an imperfect, somewhat time-bound but still invaluable resource for challenging some of our most tenacious prejudices about what politics is and how to study it.
The following eminent Arendt scholars have contributed chapters to this book: Ronald Beiner, Margaret Canovan, Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, Seyla Benhabib, Jurgen Habermas, Hanna Pitkin, and Sheldon Wolin.
"In many ways the editors have done exemplary work. They offer a fine general introduction as well as helpful specific prefaces to each section. Their own remarks are intelligent, informed, thoughtful, and establish a continuity of themes between sections while sharpening debate in themMany of the essays are so good and have attained such considerable notoriety that there will be a ready audience for the book."--J. Peter Euben, University of California, Santa Cruz
Lewis P. Hinchman is Associate Professor of Government at Clarkson University. Sandra K. Hinchman is Associate Professor of Government at St. Lawrence University.
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Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I. Totalitarianism and Evil
1. Is Totalitarianism a New Phenomenon? Reflections on Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism
John L. Stanley
2. Hannah Arendt and the Politics of Evil
Berel Lang
3. Thinking and Moral Considerations: Socrates and Arendt's Eichmann
Joseph Beatty
Part II. Narrative and History
4. Explaining Dark Times: Hannah Arendt's Theory of Theory
David Luban
5. Hannah Arendt and the Redemptive Power of Narrative
Seyla Benhabib
Part III. The Public World and Personal Identity
6. Existentialism Politicized: Arendt's Debt to Jaspers
Lewis P. Hinchman and Sandra K. Hinchman
7. Politics as Culture: Hannah Arendt and the Public Realm
Margaret Canovan
Part IV. Action and Power
8. Hannah Arendt's Communications Concept of Power
Jürgen Habermas
9. Hannah Arendt and Feminist Politics
Mary G. Dietz
Part V. Justice, Equality, Democracy
10. Justice: On Relating Private and Public
Hanna Fenichel Pitkin
11. Hannah Arendt: Democracy and the Political
Sheldon S. Wolin
12. Hannah Arendt's Argument for Council Democracy
John F. Sitton
Part VI. Thinking and Judging
13. Reflections on Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind
Elisabeth Young-Bruehl
14. Judging in a World of Appearances: A Commentary on Hannah Arendt's Unwritten Finale
Ronald Beiner
Bibliography
Contributors
Index
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