The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah ArendtInterpreting the work of one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt rereads Arendt's political philosophy in light of newly gained insights into the historico-cultural background of her work. Arguing against the standard interpretation of Hannah Arendt as an anti-modernist lover of the Greek polis, author Seyla Benhabib contends that Arendt's thought emerges out of a double legacy: German Existenz philosophy, particularly the thought of Martin Heidegger, and her experiences as a German-Jewess in the age of totalitarianism. This important volume reconsiders Arendt's theory of modernity, her concept of the public sphere, her distinction between the social and the political, her theory of totalitarianism, and her critique of the modern nation state, including her life long involvement with Jewish and Israeli politics. |
From inside the book
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Page xi
... individuals from different ranks , groups , and classes , even faiths , could mix and mingle ; literary and artistic works were read and discussed . They presented occasions for experimentation with self - fashioning and with less ...
... individuals from different ranks , groups , and classes , even faiths , could mix and mingle ; literary and artistic works were read and discussed . They presented occasions for experimentation with self - fashioning and with less ...
Page xviii
... individuals in these events , there were also processes of " action in concert " and deliberative politics . Arendt's histori- cal reflections do not permit such clear dichotomies . The " priority of the performative " reflects Villa's ...
... individuals in these events , there were also processes of " action in concert " and deliberative politics . Arendt's histori- cal reflections do not permit such clear dichotomies . The " priority of the performative " reflects Villa's ...
Page xxv
... individuals fall victim to ideologies that can be exposed through forms of communicative interaction designed to contest and validate their interpreta- tions of needs and examine the consequences of their satisfaction . And , finally ...
... individuals fall victim to ideologies that can be exposed through forms of communicative interaction designed to contest and validate their interpreta- tions of needs and examine the consequences of their satisfaction . And , finally ...
Page xxvi
Seyla Benhabib. of theory to the individuals and groups whom it addresses is always prob- lematic with regard to how , under what conditions , and to what end or ends theory can play a part in their political struggles . To begin to ...
Seyla Benhabib. of theory to the individuals and groups whom it addresses is always prob- lematic with regard to how , under what conditions , and to what end or ends theory can play a part in their political struggles . To begin to ...
Page xxvii
... individual life histories and collective life forms that make them fulfilling or unfulfilling . Put in terms of ... individuals as a cognitive vehicle for interpreting both their particular needs as well as needs they hold in common ...
... individual life histories and collective life forms that make them fulfilling or unfulfilling . Put in terms of ... individuals as a cognitive vehicle for interpreting both their particular needs as well as needs they hold in common ...
Contents
The Pariah and Her Shadow Hannah Arendts Biography of Rahel Varnhagen | 1 |
Rahel Levin Varnhagens Quest for the World | 5 |
The Salons as Female Public Sphere | 14 |
The Rise of the Social | 22 |
Jewish Politics and German Existenz Philosophy The Sources of Hannah Arendts Thought | 35 |
What Is Existenz Philosophy? | 47 |
The Concept of the World in Martin Heideggers Being and Time | 51 |
The Destruction of the Public Sphere and the Emergence of Totalitarianism | 62 |
Aristotle Arendt and Heidegger | 114 |
The Art of Making and Subverting Distinctions With Arendt Contra Arendt | 123 |
The Continuing Struggle With Karl Marx | 130 |
An Untenable Divide | 138 |
From the Problem of Judgment to the Public Sphere Rethinking Hannah Arendts Political Theory | 172 |
Rereading Eichmann in Jerusalem | 173 |
Judgment in Kants Moral Philosophy and Arendts Reappropriation | 185 |
The Missing Normative Foundations of Arendtian Politics | 193 |
Methodological and Historiographic Puzzles of Arendts Origins of Totalitarianism | 63 |
EmpiricalAnalytical Aspects of Arendts Theory of Totalitarianism | 69 |
Imperialism and the End of the Rights of Man | 75 |
Imperialism and the Dilemmas of the Modern NationState | 77 |
The Politics of Memory and the Morality of Historiography | 86 |
The Theorist as Storyteller | 91 |
The Dialogue With Martin Heidegger Arendts Ontology of The Human Condition | 102 |
Plurality the World and the Solipsism of Heideggers Ontology | 104 |
Action Narrative and the Web of Stories | 107 |
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Common terms and phrases
activity American analysis anti-Semitism Arendt writes Arendt-Jaspers Arendt's theory Arendt's thought Arendtian Aristotle become Benhabib century chapter concept concern constitute contemporary context critical critique cultural Dasein democracy democratic discussion distinction economic Eichmann in Jerusalem Elisabeth Young-Bruehl equality essay ethics European existential Existenz Existenz Philosophy freedom fundamental G. W. F. Hegel German Habermas Habermas's Hannah Arendt Heidegger's historical Human Condition Ibid identity individuals interpretation issues Jews judgment Jürgen Habermas Kant Kant's Karl Jaspers labor Margaret Canovan Martin Heidegger Marx means modern moral narrative nation-state National Nazi normative one's ontology Origins of Totalitarianism Palestine pariah phenomenological plurality polis political philosophy Political Theory political thought praxis public realm public space public sphere question Rahel Varnhagen reflections revolutionary salons sense Seyla Benhabib social space of appearances story theorist thinker thinking tion tradition trans transformation understanding University Press worldlessness York Young-Bruehl Zionist