Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz

Civil Disobedience III | Crises of the Republic

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 07:00:00 -0500

We continue our reading of Hannah Arendt’s essay “Civil Disobedience” from Crises of the Republic. Host Roger Berkowitz frames it through Mary McCarthy’s critique that civil disobedience is fundamentally conscientious, citing Socrates, Thoreau, and Gandhi. Berkowitz explains Arendt’s radical distinction between conscience (singular, inner dialogue) and politics (plural, public), arguing that grounding politics in morality risks tyranny and civil war, and that justice for Arendt is primarily the preservation of liberty for minorities against majorities. He outlines Arendt’s claim that the American “spirit of the laws” is consent understood horizontally as mutual promise, from which collective dissent follows, making civil disobedience coherent with American constitutionalism and a safeguard amid accelerating change. Arendt critiques ideological movements, links consent to voluntary association, and proposes civil disobedience as an institutional check when courts abdicate via the political questions doctrine, even calling for a constitutional amendment. "Consent implies dissent and not individual dissent, but collective dissent."

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Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations. Released weekly, each episode provides listeners with a deeper understanding of Arendt's philosophy and its relevance to contemporary issues. Available on all major podcast platforms, listeners join us on a captivating intellectual journey through the mind of Hannah Arendt.

New episodes every Friday morning! Join Roger Berkowitz, Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, as he discusses the works of German Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt (1906-1975).

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including live access to our Virtual Reading Group that takes place most Fridays, and upon which this podcast is based: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hannaharendt/ and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Roger Berkowitz is the Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is the editor of On Civil Disobedience: Henry David Thoreau and Hannah Arendt (2024), The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition, and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt’s Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits the HA: Yearbook and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

EDITED BY:

Alex Fox Tschan is the editor & co-producer of the “Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz” podcast. He is a working musician, creative producer, & audio/visual editor at his Brooklyn-based studio, The Fox & The Sound. With 25 years of recording & performance experience, Tschan’s recent projects range from indie-pop albums to audiobooks for McNally Jackson. A full spread of his work & collaborations can be found at pastelhell.com.

Civil Disobedience I-II | Crises of the Republic

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 07:00:00 -0500

In this episode of the podcast, Roger Berkowitz introduces Hannah Arendt’s essay “Civil Disobedience” from Crises of the Republic. Framed by Eugene Rostow’s question about citizens’ moral relation to law in a society of consent, Berkowitz explains Arendt’s argument that civil disobedience is not an individual act of conscience or a legal test case, but a nonviolent political practice carried out publicly by an organized minority bound by shared opinion, especially when normal channels of change fail. The discussion challenges Arendt’s reading of Socrates and Thoreau, debates whether conscience and justice can be separated from politics, raises issues like the necessity defense and Calhoun’s “concurrent majorities,” and considers civil disobedience’s limits in polarized or totalitarian contexts.

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Planetary Politics with Lucy Benjamin | Bonus Episode

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode of the podcast, Roger Berkowitz and Lucy Benjamin discuss her book Planetary Politics: Arendt, Anarchy, and the Climate Crisis. They explore how Arendt's concepts of plurality and earthliness relate to contemporary environmental challenges. Benjamin emphasizes the importance of integrating Arendt's political theories with the urgent need to address climate change. They delve into topics like the impact of technological optimism, the role of unpredictability in political life, and how Arendt's philosophical insights can help reframe discussions on planetary politics and ecological responsibility.

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Lying in Politics III-V | Crises of the Republic

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 07:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Roger Berkowitz discusses the second parts of Arendt’s essay "Lying in Politics" from her book Crises of the Republic. Berkowitz explains Arendt’s critique of the Vietnam War policymakers, focusing on their detachment from reality and reliance on abstract problem-solving techniques. He highlights Arendt's argument that these policymakers substituted judgment with calculations, leading to self-deception and an internally coherent but factually disconnected policy framework. The discussion covers Arendt’s insights on the vulnerability and resilience of factual truth, the role of imagination in politics, and the cultural importance of free speech. Drawing parallels to contemporary politics, Berkowitz and participants in our Virtual Reading Group reflect on the implications of Arendt’s analysis for understanding current political challenges.

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Lying in Politics I-II | Crises of the Republic

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 07:00:00 -0500

In this first episode of our new read, Roger Berkowitz introduces Hannah Arendt's Crises of the Republic. The book, written in 1972, delves into the crises facing the American Republic, including the Vietnam War, civil disobedience, and the ethos surrounding violence. Berkowitz emphasizes Arendt's focus on the relationship between lying and politics, particularly in the context of the Pentagon Papers. He discusses how Arendt views the substitution of truth with image and problem-solving theories as a current threat to political integrity. Berkowitz outlines that Arendt's essays aim to help readers understand these dangers while reinvigorating the principles of liberty and the Republic.

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Candor without Hypocrisy | Bonus Episode

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode of the podcast, Roger Berkowitz discusses his essay "Candor Without Hypocrisy," which explores the current political landscape and the dangers of unrestrained candor. He examines the paradox of Donald Trump's perceived truth-telling and its impact on the liberal world order and democratic institutions. Berkowitz warns against the erosion of trust and the normalization of militarization and tyranny. He emphasizes the importance of civil disobedience as a means of preserving democracy.

Our next read is Hannah Arendt's Crises of the Republic, with episodes airing on the pod beginning January 30th. Learn more at https://hac.bard.edu/programs/vrg/.

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The World in Time with Lapham's Quarterly | Bonus Episode

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode of the Reading Hannah Arendt podcast, we're sharing a conversation we did with our friends at Lapham's Quarterly. Their podcast, The World in Time, explores stories and insight from today's writers and thinkers.

Last summer, Donovan Hohn sat down for a conversation with Roger Berkowitz to discuss the life and work of Hannah Arendt and two essays that share the title “Civil Disobedience,” one by Arendt, the other by Thoreau, both recently collected in a volume that Berkowitz edited and introduced. Their conversation touches broadly on the works of the two writers, on their differences and disagreements, on the political tumults that inspired their essays, and on the lessons to be learned from them in the present day.

Our next read is Hannah Arendt's Crises of the Republic, with episodes airing beginning January 30th. Learn more at https://hac.bard.edu/programs/vrg/.

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Operation Lightness with Teju Cole | Bonus Episode

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 07:49:54 -0500

In this bonus episode of the podcast, we share a talk from our fall conference on JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times. Teju Cole is a novelist, essayist, and photographer, whose talk "Operation Lightness" explored joy and literary arts. Cole's talk emphasized the redemptive power of lightness, weaving through themes of humor, transformation, and the delicate balance between horror and beauty. In the subsequent discussion lead by Roger Berkowitz, they further explore the dynamics of lightness and darkness, joy, and the role of the humanities in contemporary society. Cole emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance between acknowledging the world's evils and embracing beauty and joy. Q&A with a live audience highlights Cole's views on storytelling, fiction, and the need for personal conscience in navigating political and social challenges.

Our next read is Hannah Arendt's Crises of the Republic, with episodes airing beginning January 30th.

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The Revolutionary Tradition and its Lost Treasure (Parts III-IV) | On Revolution, Chapter 6

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this final episode of 2025, Roger Berkowitz discusses the concluding chapters of Hannah Arendt’s On Revolution. He elaborates on Arendt's exploration of what she regards as the 'most mature' articulation of her political philosophy, particularly focusing on the concepts of freedom and meaningful life. The discussion delves into the importance Arendt places on public appearance, speech, and action in a free society, contrasting this with mere survival. Berkowitz highlights Arendt's views on the American Revolutionary institutions like the Supreme Court and the Senate for providing stability and durability, but critiques their current failings. He outlines Arendt’s admiration for Thomas Jefferson’s ward system as an ideal political structure for fostering public freedom and participation, emphasizing the importance of local councils and spontaneous citizen assemblies. The episode also touches upon Arendt’s belief in the dangers of corruption arising from the people’s private interests infiltrating public life, and the necessity for spaces where true public opinions can be formed. The discussion concludes with a look at how this participatory model could be applied today.

Support the Center's End of Year campaign with a donation of any amount: https://bardian.bard.edu/register/hac You can also join the Virtual Reading Group session in real time by becoming a member! Our next read is Arendt's Crises of the Republic, which begins on January 23rd with episodes airing beginning January 30th.

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The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Truth in Politics: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Hannah Arendt's Death | Bonus Episode

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz explores the complex relationship between truth and politics. Speaking from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he attended the Riyadh International Philosophy Conference, Berkowitz discusses the erosion of public trust in institutions that were once considered impartial. He delves into the philosophical roots of this distrust, tracing it back to Plato's introduction of the concept of an absolute truth, and how this idea evolved through history. Berkowitz also examines contemporary issues like gerrymandering and the post-truth era, arguing that institutions must foster a culture of honesty and humility to restore public trust. He concludes by advocating for a politics grounded in friendship and dialogue, rather than domination and coercion, as a way to rebuild a common world amidst growing polarization. If you enjoy this podcast, please consider making a tax deductible year-end donation. All those who donate at our new $500 membership level will receive as a thank-you gift our next Virtual Reading Group book, Crises of the Republic, which will start in January. Learn more at https://bardian.bard.edu/register/hac

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Arendtian Praxis in Gay Politics with Blake Smith | Bonus Episode

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode, recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston, Roger Berkowitz talks with Blake Smith, a historian, essayist, and translator, about the impact of Hannah Arendt’s philosophy on gay politics. Smith provides insights into the life and work of Michael Denneny, an influential figure in gay publishing and a former student of Arendt. They discuss Denneny's career, his relationship with Arendt, and how her philosophy influenced his work in gay publishing and activism. They delve into Denneny’s application of Arendt’s concept of 'praxis' in his efforts to create spaces for gay men to share perspectives, a vital part of cultural and political activism. The conversation highlights Arendt’s views on politics, culture, and identity, suggesting that her ideas significantly shaped gay political thought in the 1970s and 1980s.

Smith is formerly a fellow at the University of Chicago and European University Institute, he is a regular contributor to publications such as Foreign Policy, American Affairs, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He gave a talk of the same title at Bard College on October 29th, 2025.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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The Revolutionary Tradition and Its Lost Treasure (Parts I-II) | On Revolution, Chapter 6

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this episode, host Roger Berkowitz discusses the first two parts of the last chapter of Hannah Arendt’s On Revolution, in which Arendt argues that the American Revolution was successful due to its emphasis on stable, lasting institutions like the Constitution, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. Arendt contrasts this with the French Revolution, which failed to incorporate such institutions. The episode delves into the concept of 'public spirit' and the necessity of deliberative bodies to sift and purify public opinions. Berkowitz also touches on the challenges of maintaining revolutionary spirit in contemporary times and the potential of new participatory institutions such as citizen assemblies.

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Join us at the Hannah Arendt Center in Annandale, New York, on December 4th, 2025, to mark the 50th anniversary of Hannah Arendt's passing with a visit to her grave at Bard College. Learn more and RSVP at https://hac.bard.edu/commemorating-hannah-arendt-december-4-1975

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Foundation II: Novus Ordo Saeclorum | On Revolution, Chapter 5

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this episode, host Roger Berkowitz leads a close reading of Chapter 5 of Hannah Arendt's On Revolution, specifically focusing on the American Revolution. Berkowitz emphasizes Arendt's distinction between power and authority, explaining how the Founders' experiences and the act of foundation contributed to the Constitution's revered status. He delves into the problematic perception of democracy vs. republicanism, the necessity of public engagement in self-governance, and the potential erosion of political institutions' authority. The discussion also touches on the significance of civic structures and architecture in maintaining political values. Rate and review if you like this podcast!

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times | Bonus Episode

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode, the Center's Director of Academic Programs Jana Mader sits down with podcast host Roger Berkowitz to talk about highlights from our recent conference and provide a peek into the process of developing next year's event! Then, we share Roger's talk from JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Foundation I: Constitution Liberatis | On Revolution, Chapter 4

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Roger Berkowitz delves into Chapter 4 of Hannah Arendt's On Revolution, emphasizing its relevance to contemporary politics. Berkowitz highlights Arendt's view that the American Revolution uniquely succeeded in founding political freedom, unlike other revolutions, and argues for the importance of understanding public freedom and the creation of a new system of power to sustain democratic governance. Berkowitz touches upon Arendt's distinction between liberation, the initial stage of revolution, and the constitution of freedom, which ensures its longevity. The discussion revolves around the American innovation of a federalist constitution that distributes power, and the potential pitfalls of focusing solely on social equality at the expense of political freedom.

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ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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The Pursuit of Happiness | On Revolution, Chapter 3

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Roger Berkowitz discusses Chapter 3 of Hannah Arendt’s On Revolution, including her interpretation of the American and French Revolutions, centered around the concept of 'public happiness.' Berkowitz explains how Arendt argues that the American Revolution was focused on founding political freedom, whereas the French Revolution diverted towards eradicating poverty, which led to its downfall. The close chapter reading also contrasts intellectuals with 'men of letters,' highlighting the dangers of intellectuals entering politics. Arendt’s distinction between public and private happiness is discussed, as well as the lasting tension between these concepts in American political life.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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The Social Question, Parts IV-VI | On Revolution, Chapter 2

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we finish Chapter Two of Hannah Arendt's On Revolution. Roger Berkowitz elaborates on Arendt's distinctions between social and political revolutions, highlighting her critique of the French Revolution for focusing on social equality at the expense of political freedom, unlike the American Revolution which aimed to establish lasting institutions of freedom. The discussion covers Arendt's controversial views on poverty, slavery, and the role of compassion and pity in politics. The episode also touches on contemporary relevance, addressing issues like the role of technology and the motivations behind political actions.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Joy and Fearlessness in Dark Times with Lisa Cypers Kamen | Bonus Episode

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This week we're sharing a two-part episode we did with our friends at Harvesting Happiness, a positive psychology lifestyle podcast for the pursuit of happiness and well-being. Lisa Cypers Kamen, MA, Adv. CASAC, SUDCCII, RYT-200, is an advocate and trailblazer for a new frontier of happiness, health, and well-being for everyone, and she conducts the interview with Roger Berkowitz.

In part 1, Roger shares what led him to Bard College and Hannah Arendt. And how one of the most read political thinkers of the twentieth century might interpret freedom in today’s political landscape. In part 2, Roger shares his intentions for the JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times conference, which are rooted in Hannah Arendt's philosophy that freedom is not a private endeavor but is best found in the public sphere. (Lisa Cypers Kamen will be speaking at the conference on October 17th.)

For part 3 of Lisa and Roger's interview on his forthcoming book, A World We Share: The Power of Friendship in a Time Without Truth (which is scheduled for release in 2026), subscribe to Harvesting Happiness on Spotify!

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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The Social Question, Parts I-III | On Revolution, Chapter 2

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, host Roger Berkowitz focuses in on the first three sections of Chapter Two: "The Social Question" of Hannah Arendt's On Revolution. The discussion highlights Arendt's tendency to make significant distinctions—in this case, between the social and the political, and between poverty and misery. Berkowitz elaborates on Arendt's controversial take that the American Revolution succeeded by focusing on founding freedom rather than addressing poverty, unlike the French Revolution which devolved into prioritizing happiness and life necessities. The session also delves into Arendt’s critique of compassion and pity in political life, using examples from John Adams, Karl Marx, and Vladimir Lenin, and discusses the perceived invisibility of slavery during the American Revolution.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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The Meaning of Revolution | On Revolution, Chapter 1

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, host Roger Berkowitz leads a close reading of Chapter 1, "The Meaning of Revolution" from Hannah Arendt's book, On Revolution. He discusses Arendt's distinction between liberation and freedom, the essence of political revolutions, and the crucial role of founding a new polity in times of broken authority. Berkowitz highlights Arendt's focus on the difference between the American and French Revolutions, the significance of political action, and the dangers of viewing revolutions through a deterministic historical lens. The importance of public participation, the role of power, and the implications of current societal issues on Arendt's ideas are explored.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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War and Revolution | On Revolution, Introduction

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0400

Our Virtual Reading Group is now reading Hannah Arendt's seminal On Revolution. In this first episode of the new text, host Roger Berkowitz covers Arendt's analysis of political revolutions, freedom, power, and the quest for founding a new polity amidst the breakdown of traditions and authority. Berkowitz touches on the challenges of modern revolutions, the importance of a foundational authority, and the notion that freedom must be both founded and continuously maintained. The episode also highlights the relevance of Arendt's work in contemporary times, given the current global political climate.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Conclusions, Sections 13, 14, and 15 | The Life of the Mind, Book II Willing, Chapter IV

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0400

We finish our reading of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind with the final sections of Book II. Host Roger Berkowitz delves into Arendt's critique of the Western tradition's understanding of the will, focusing on the contributions of key philosophers like Augustine, Aquinas, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. He highlights Arendt's argument that political freedom and action should be divorced from philosophical notions of the will. The discussion sets the stage for the next reading of Arendt’s On Revolution, a text that addresses the foundations of political freedom through the lens of historical revolutions and communal action. The session also includes Berkowitz's reflections on the difficulties of philosophical texts, questions from participants, and an overview of reading strategies for Arendt’s challenging ideas.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Unpacking Trump's Revolution with Roger Berkowitz | Bonus Episode

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this bonus episode, host Roger Berkowitz reads from and discusses his two recent essays, 'The Revolution Against Legitimacy' and 'No Question Marks, Just Exclamation Points,' to analyze the revolutionary aspects of Trumpism. Berkowitz argues that Donald Trump's movement is not conservative or isolationist but rather a revolutionary effort aimed at dismantling the liberal intellectual order and bureaucratic systems. Drawing upon influences, Berkowitz explores how Trump’s politics prioritize power and destruction over new ideologies or institutions. He examines how Trump's approach mirrors Stalinist and Maoist principles, presenting violence and breaking rules as necessary means without a clear end goal. The discussion touches on the broader implications for democracy and the erosion of trust in political systems, setting the stage for a class struggle against perceived liberal elitism.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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The Power of Voice with Sonita Alizadeh (Bard '23) | Bonus Episode

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this bonus episode, host Roger Berkowitz interviews Sonita Alizadeh, a global Rhodes Scholar, human rights activist, rapper, and author. Sonita shares her journey from being born under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, surviving two attempted child marriages, to becoming a global icon with her viral rap "Daughters for Sale." She discusses her new memoir Sonita, My Fight Against Tyranny and My Escape to Freedom, the challenges she faced writing it, and her mission to inspire change through her story. The conversation also touches upon her educational experience, her music career, and her ongoing struggles with immigration in the US. Sonita emphasizes the importance of education and the power of voice in creating change, offering insights into current conditions in Afghanistan and the resilience of women in oppressive regimes.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Examining Totalitarian Trends with Greg Feldman | Bonus Episode

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This week we're sharing an episode we did with our friends at Today's Totalitarianism, a podcast that seeks to offer an accessible, academically informed commentary on troubling developments around the globe variously described as fascist, majoritarian, or authoritarian. Greg Feldman, who's a professor in sociology at the University of Windsor, conducts the interview with Roger Berkowitz. They touch upon what Hannah Arendt called the elements of totalitarianism: antisemitism and racism, the rise of refugees, the problem with nation states, bureaucracy and the way that bureaucracy is the particular form of government associated with racism, the rise of imperialism, superfluous capital, and superfluous people, and loneliness. They also delve into Arendt's understanding of totalitarianism, as well as the movements that organize masses of lonely individuals.

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THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Plato and the Tyrant with James Romm | Bonus Episode

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this bonus episode, host Roger Berkowitz engages in a rich conversation with James Romm, a Professor of Classics at Bard College, about his new book Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece. The discussion covers the historical and political context of the book, focusing on Plato's interactions with tyrants Dionysius the Elder and the Younger of Syracuse, as well as his close relationship with Dion. They delve into the complexities of Plato's ideas about governance, the concept of the philosopher-king, and the distinctions between kingship and tyranny. Romm provides insights into how Plato’s intellectual pursuits intersected with practical politics, ultimately portraying Plato as a figure who grappled with the lure of authoritarianism. The episode concludes with reflections on the relevance of these ancient themes to contemporary debates around governance, expertise, and the nature of political leadership.

Recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston.

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The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Will and Intellect, Sections 11 and 12 | The Life of the Mind, Book II Willing, Chapter 3

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this week's episode, host Roger Berkowitz guides us through the next close chapter reading of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. The discussion covers the second part of Book II on Willing, emphasizing the differences between the originally published manuscript and the newly edited version. Berkowitz explains Arendt's exploration of the will, focusing on Augustine, Aquinas, and Duns Scotus, highlighting their contributions to understanding human freedom and action. We delve into philosophical debates between Franciscans and Dominicans about rationality and faith. Berkowitz answers questions about the will's role in freedom, the integration of memory in thought, and Arendt’s nuanced views on hypocrisy and morality. The session is part of an ongoing series that encourages collective intellectual inquiry into Arendt's unfinished work.

Rate and review if you like this podcast!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Quaestio mihi factus sum, Sections 9 and 10 | The Life of the Mind, Book II Willing, Chapter 2

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This episode's chapter reading of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind, focuses on the critical exploration of the concept of willing, examining its historical development from Greek to Christian philosophers like Epictetus, St. Paul, and Augustine. Host Roger Berkowitz discusses the nuances between thinking and willing, and the role of love in unifying internal conflict, and the spontaneity of human action. Questions from Center members further explore Arendt's ideas.

Rate and review if you like this podcast!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Quaestio mihi factus sum, Sections 7 and 8 | The Life of the Mind, Book II, Willing, Chapter 2

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0400

Host Roger Berkowitz leads a discussion on Hannah Arendt's book, The Life of the Mind, focusing on the sections dealing with Aristotle and St. Paul's views on the will. They discuss the philosophical evolution of the will, its significance in Christian thought, and its implications for understanding freedom, desire, and political action. The conversation explores Arendt's critique of internalizing the struggle between reason and desire, with references to Kant, Nietzsche, and notions of Jewish and Christian law.

Rate and review if you like this podcast!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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About Reading Hannah Arendt (Trailer)

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 14:08:54 -0400

The Philosophers and the Will, Sections 4, 5, and 6 | The Life of the Mind, Book II, Willing, Chapter 1

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this week's chapter reading of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind, host Roger Berkowitz, focuses the session on Part II, Willing, Chapter 1, The Philosophers and the Will. Discussing the difficulties accessing the will in philosophy, Berkowitz addresses its role in the context of freedom, new beginnings, and evil. He delves into the historical viewpoint of the will from Aristotle to Hegel, and its philosophical implications. The talk highlights Arendt’s critique of the philosophy of progress and its incompatibility with true justice. Contributions from participants range from interpretations of the will to insights about justice, evil, and political implications in Arendt’s thought.

Rate and review if you like this podcast!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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Montez Press Radio: The Politics of Friendship with Uday Mehta | Bonus Episode

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This week we're sharing a recording from our friends at Montez Press Radio, an experimental broadcasting and performance platform founded in 2018 with the goal of fostering greater experimentation and conversation between artists, writers, and thinkers through the medium of radio. In the first of their new series, Love Thy Network, one of three excellent new segments on friendship, gossip, and public discourse, Roger Berkowitz and Uday Mehta, a scholar of political philosophy, engage with Hannah Arendt's insights on the intersection of friendship and politics.

Arendt, known for her "genius for friendship," believed that true friendship is where we reveal both our joys and our sorrows, and where our hearts are open, untouched by the demands of the world. The conversation explores the relevance of Arendt’s thoughts on friendship as a key political force and its importance in creating a 'unity of a plurality.' Berkowitz and Mehta discuss Arendt’s belief that true politics is driven by conversation and mutual respect rather than agreement on truth, and reflect on the crisis of friendship and polarization in contemporary society. They also discuss Berkowitz's upcoming book on friendship, which examines Arendt's extensive correspondences and develops a theory of how friendships can sustain political communities. And they look ahead to the Center's upcoming annual conference on JOY and its vital role in facing dark times.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

Roger Berkowitz is the Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is the editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition, and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt’s Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

EDITED BY:

Staying Decent in an Indecent Society with Ian Buruma | Bonus Episode

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this bonus episode, host Roger Berkowitz speaks with Ian Buruma, a writer, journalist, educator, and award-winning thinker, as well as the Paul W. Williams Professor of Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College. Buruma shares his insights on civility and decency in society, drawing from his personal experiences in post-Nazi-occupied Europe. They discuss the harsh judgment against collaborators versus resistance fighters and the nuances of maintaining decency in an indecent society.

Reflecting on the political climate in the U.S., they debate whether America currently constitutes a decent society, considering the behavior and policies of its leaders. The dialogue delves into patriotism, roots, and the responsibilities of intellectuals versus politicians. Additionally, Buruma and Berkowitz touch on the implications of leaders' actions on societal decency, the importance of rule of law, and the potential dangers of preemptive obedience.

Look for Buruma's upcoming essay, Staying Decent in an Indecent Society, set to appear in Liberties Journal in July.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Willing, Sections 1, 2, and 3 | The Life of the Mind, Introduction and Syllabus

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0400

We begin the second book in Hannah Arendt's unfinished manuscript, The Life of the Mind. This week's episode provides an overview of Part II on Willing, focusing on the concept of the will and its importance to her larger project of political thinking. Host Roger Berkowitz discusses the historical development of the will from the Greeks to the Christians and moderns, and its role in freedom and action. Berkowitz highlight's Arendt's investigation of thinking, willing, and judging as central faculties of the mind, and addresses questions from participants of the Virtual Reading Group about the intersections of will, desire, morality, and political action.

Rate and review if you like the podcast!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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EDITED BY:

Can Deliberation Cure Democracy? with James Fishkin | Bonus Episode

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this conversation between Roger Berkowitz and James Fishkin, a Stanford University expert on deliberative polling and deliberative democracy, they discuss the effectiveness for addressing the ills of democracy. Fishkin highlights four primary problems in modern democracy: the difficulty in determining the will of the people; extreme partisan polarization; the lack of deliberative voting; and limited citizen engagement. He outlines how deliberative polls, involving informed discussions among representative samples of citizens, have been effective in fostering better public understanding and decision-making, as seen in cases like Texas' energy policy and Mongolia's constitutional amendments. The discussion also touches on the potential benefits and challenges of integrating deliberative polling with citizens' assemblies to enhance democratic involvement and decision-making.

James Fishkin holds the Janet M. Peck Chair in International Communication at Stanford University where he is Professor of Communication, Professor of Political Science (by courtesy) and Director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab. He is the author of Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy? (Oxford 2025), Democracy When the People Are Thinking (Oxford 2018), When the People Speak (Oxford 2009), Deliberation Day (Yale 2004 with Bruce Ackerman) and Democracy and Deliberation (Yale 1991). Fishkin is best known for developing Deliberative Polling® – a practice of public consultation that employs random samples of the citizenry to explore how opinions would change if they were more informed. His work on deliberative democracy has stimulated more than 100 Deliberative Polls in 28 countries around the world. It has been used to help governments and policy makers make important decisions in Texas, China, Mongolia, Japan, Macau, South Korea, Bulgaria, Brazil, Uganda and other countries around the world. Watch Fishkin's talk titled Democracy When the People are Thinking from the Hannah Arendt Center's 2017 annual fall conference, Crises of Democracy: Thinking in Dark Times.

Learn more about the Hannah Arendt Center's Democracy Innovation Hub.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Where Are We When We Think? Sections 20-21 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 4

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Roger Berkowitz leads a discussion on the concluding sections of the book on Thinking, part of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. Berkowitz elaborates on Arendt's insights into the nature of thinking and its relation to the real world. Berkowitz highlights Arendt's belief that thinking interrupts conventional processes and challenges us to be autonomous and independent. He emphasizes the dangers of abstract thought disconnected from reality and the value of encountering the world with a balanced, common-sense approach. Berkowitz discusses how the culmination of this section on Thinking leads into the next two parts of the book, on Willing and Judging.

Leave us a review, if you like the podcast!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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What Makes Us Think? Sections 18-19 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 3

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This episode centers on Hannah Arendt's exploration of Socrates as a model for thinking, outlined in Sections 18 and 19 of Chapter 3 in The Life of the Mind. Arendt argues that Socratic thinking, characterized by the internal dialogue of the 'two in one,' is crucial for understanding human thinking. Host Roger Berkowitz contrasts this with Greek and Roman perspectives on thinking, highlighting that for Socrates, thinking itself holds intrinsic meaning and is essential for being fully alive. We discuss the moral implications of thinking, emphasizing how it can prevent evil by fostering a critical self-dialogue that embodies an existential duality. The importance of conscience in the context of thinking is also discussed, distinguishing it from mere consciousness and illustrating how it can serve as a moral guide in times of crisis.

Read along with us! And rate and review if you like this podcast, to help us expand our audience.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

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What Makes Us Think? Sections 16-17 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 3

Fri, 30 May 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Roger Berkowitz continues with a close reading of Sections 16-17 of Hannah Arendt's unfinished book, The Life of the Mind. Berkowitz explores the key themes of the first part of the book, Thinking, focusing on Chapter 3, titled What Makes Us Think? He discusses the three driving questions of Arendt's work: whether thinking prevents us from doing evil, how thinking as an action interacts with the human condition, and whether thinking is a quest for meaning rather than a search for truth. The session delves into the history of thought from the Greeks, who thought out of wonder, to the Romans, who thought out of despair. Berkowitz ends by introducing Socratic thinking as a form of non-professional, participatory thought that challenges established concepts and opens up possibilities for new understandings.

Read along with us! And rate and review if you like this podcast, to help us expand our audience.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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What Makes Us Think? Sections 14-15 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 3

Fri, 23 May 2025 07:00:00 -0400

We're on to Chapter III of The Life of the Mind: What Makes Us Think? In this episode, we examine Sections 14 and 15. Roger Berkowitz discusses key themes, such as the relationship between being and appearance, the authenticity and fallacy of the thinking ego, and thinking's quest for meaning. He delves into the importance of metaphors in language to link thought to the world, and outlines the distinctions and connections between post-philosophical and pre-philosophical Greek thought. The latter focuses on immortalization through poetry and action, while the former emphasizes intellectual abstraction. Modern existential dilemmas around thinking and meaning are touched upon, including insights from various philosophers like Plato, Socrates, Kant, and Nietzsche.

Read along with us! And rate and review if you like this podcast, to help us expand our audience.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Exploring the New Critical Edition of The Life of the Mind | Bonus Episode

Fri, 16 May 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this bonus episode of the podcast, we're sharing a discussion between host Roger Berkowitz and one of the General Editors of the Critical Edition of Hannah Arendt's Complete Works, Thomas Wild, and two of the co-editors of the new edition of The Life of the Mind, Thomas Bartscherer and Wout Cornelissen. The conversation explores the significance of the Critical Edition, the distinction between truth and meaning, and the dual origin of The Life of the Mind stemming from Arendt’s earlier works and her coverage of the Eichmann trial. The conversation also address the differences between the Mary McCarthy edition and the new edition, emphasizing the importance of reading Arendt’s original words to understand her thoughts on thinking, willing, and judging. Recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Thomas Wild is Research Director at the Hannah Arendt Center and Professor of German Studies and Literature at Bard College, and works on modern European and German literature and culture. In his research as well as in his teaching he’s particularly interested in the intersections between literature and history, politics, and philosophy. A current focus of his work addresses the poetics and ethics of multilingualism. Wild has published an introductory book on Hannah Arendt’s life, work, and reception and a monograph on Hannah Arendt’s intellectual relationships with post-war writers. His most recent book on the distinguished poet Ilse Aichinger discusses a contemporary poetics of hospitality. Several editions of letters emerged from Thomas Wild’s ongoing intrigue for correspondences and intellectual networks, including prominent writers such as Uwe Johnson, Wolfgang Hildesheimer, and Joachim Fest. Poetry is an interlocutor in most of his courses and in many of his publications, among the latter are a collection of poems by Thomas Brasch and translations of contemporary American poets. Thomas Wild serves as general editor on the distinguished international team preparing the first scholarly edition of Hannah Arendt’s Complete Works, which appears in print and digitally, presenting all published and unpublished writings of this eminent thinker in the original English and in the original German – a project providing the foundation for future research on Hannah Arendt, digital humanities, and what it means to think in a plurality of languages.

Thomas Bartscherer works in the humanities and the arts and on the study of politics and liberal education. Recent publications include the critical edition of Hannah Arendt’s final work, The Life of the Mind, which he co-edited for the Complete Works series, and When the People Rule: Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice, co-edited for Cambridge University Press. His six-hour opera, Stranger Love, created with composer Dylan Mattingly, was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where it premiered in 2023. His work has also been performed at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, the Prototype Festival, and the First Take West Coast Opera Workshop. Bartscherer also writes on technology, new media, performance, and contemporary art, and has published translations from German and French. He is co-editor of Erotikon: Essays on Eros Ancient and Modern and Switching Codes: Thinking Through Digital Technology in the Humanities and the Arts, both from the University of Chicago Press. He has held research fellowships at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, the Universities of Heidelberg, and the University of Munich. He has held visiting positions as Associate Research Professor at Vanderbilt University and as Senior Fellow in residence at the Center for Advanced Film Studies at the Freie Universität in Berlin. He was Director of Bard’s Language and Thinking Program from 2010-2015. Bartscherer is a research associate on the Équipe Nietzsche at the Institut des Textes et Manuscrits Modernes and is a Senior Fellow that the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities at Bard College. He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago.

Wout Cornelissen is appointed as Assistant Professor (tenured) of Philosophy of Law at Radboud University, Nijmegen. Previously, he has held positions at FU Berlin, Vanderbilt University, Utrecht University, Bard College, and VU Amsterdam. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Leiden University. He is co-editor of the new, critical edition of Hannah Arendt’s The Life of the Mind, which has been published in 2024 as vol. 14 of the Complete Works (Wallstein Verlag). He has published essays on Arendt’s conceptions of thinking in the edited volumes Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Arendt’s Denktagebuch (Fordham UP, 2017) and The Bloomsbury Companion to Arendt (2020), and on her practice of quoting in The Phenomenology of Testimony (Brill, 2025).

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

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Mental Activities in a World of Appearances, Section 13 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 2

Fri, 09 May 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we continue exploring Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind, focusing on the nature, meaning, and purpose of thinking. Host Roger Berkowitz emphasizes Arendt's exploration of thinking as an end in itself, comparing it to the breath of life. He discusses the limitations of language and metaphors in capturing the ineffable nature of thought, the dangers of overly persuasive metaphors, and the distinction between truth and meaning. The conversation with Virtual Reading Group participants delves into historical and philosophical perspectives, including Aristotle, Hegel, and Heidegger, on circular thinking and the interplay between the visible and invisible realms.

Read along with us! And rate and review if you like this podcast, to help us expand our audience.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Mental Activities in a World of Appearances, Sections 11-12 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 2

Fri, 02 May 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we discuss Sections 11-12 of Chapter 2 of The Life of the Mind, Hannah Arendt's final work. Host Roger Berkowitz emphasizes the notion that thinking involves a radical withdrawal from the world of appearances, and examines metaphors as fundamental to philosophical language. Berkowitz touches on how philosophical thinking, unlike everyday thinking, operates through abstract ideas that are deeply relevant to understanding human actions and societal structures. Questions from Virtual Reading Group participants place the relevance of these ideas in contemporary contexts.

Read along with us! And rate and review if you like this podcast, to help us expand our audience.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Mental Activities in a World of Appearances, Sections 9-10 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 2

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we focus on the second chapter of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. The discussion is a critical exploration of Arendt's examination of thinking as an integral, yet radically autonomous, aspect of human life that is separated from the world of reality and appearances. Host Roger Berkowitz highlights Arendt's premise that thinking can be dangerous due to its detachment from reality and its capacity to engage in abstract thought. We also touch on the distinction between thinking and other mental activities like willing and judging, as well as the controversial idea that thinking is deeply tied to language. Berkowitz emphasizes Arendt's concern about the potential of thoughtlessness to contribute to evil acts, using historical and contemporary examples to illustrate these ideas.

Read along with us! And rate and review if you like this podcast, to help us expand our audience.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Appearance, Section 8 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 1

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz continues our analysis of the first chapter of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. Roger Berkowitz discusses Arendt's exploration into the nature of thinking, how it differs from contemplation, and its elusive appearance in the world. He delves into Arendt's belief that thinking is an activity disconnected from the search for truth, aiming instead at the quest for meaning. Finally, the episode examines Arendt's views on the distinction between meaning and truth, her critique of traditional philosophy, and contributions to understanding thinking as a form of authentic semblance.

Read along with us! And rate and review if you like this podcast, to help us expand our audience.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Hannah Arendt's Legacy with Celso Lafer | Bonus Episode

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This bonus episode of the podcast features an in-depth conversation with Celso Lafer, a former student of Hannah Arendt. The discussion covers Lafer's experiences studying with her at Cornell University, as well as his contributions to translating her works into Portuguese, and the influence of her ideas on his multifaceted career in academia and politics. The conversation includes Arendt's teaching methods, the relevance of her courses on political experiences of the 20th century, and her views on judgment and action in the public realm. Lafer also shares personal anecdotes and insights into Arendt's thoughts on political thinkers, her historical context, and the impact of her work on his diplomatic philosophy.

Celso Lafer (São Paulo, Brazil, 1941) is professor emeritus of the University of São Paulo and was, until his retirement (2011), full professor of the Law School of the University of São Paulo of which he is a graduate and started teaching in 1971 (International Law and Philosophy of Law). He studied Political Science at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) where he was a student of Hannah Arendt. In Cornell he obtained his MA in 1967 and his PhD in 1970. He was the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations in 2001-2002 and previously, in 1992. In 1992, he had the responsibility of being the ex-officio vice-Chairman of the UN Rio Conference on Environment and Development. In 1999, he was the Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry and Trade. From 1995 to 1998 he was the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the WTO, the UN and the specialized agencies in Geneva. In the WTO he was, in 1996, Chairman of the Dispute Settlement Body, in 1997, Chairman of the General Council. In 2006 he was the Countries and Cultures Chair at the John W. Kluge Center in the US Library of Congress. He was elected member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences in 2004 and of the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2006. From 2007 to 2015 he was President of FAPESP - the State of São Paulo Foundation for the Advancement of Research.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

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Appearance, Sections 6-7 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 1

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz focuses on a close reading of sections 6 and 7 of the first chapter of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. Berkowitz, speaking from Buenos Aires, dives into Arendt's inquiries into the nature of thinking, how it relates to reality, and its appearance in the world. Key topics include the enigmas surrounding section 7 of the book, the Cartesian thinking ego, and the concept of common sense as defined by Arendt. Discussions also touch upon the metaphysical fallacy of the thinking ego, the role of other people in affirming reality, and the dangers of overthinking that can disconnect individuals from the common world. The episode emphasizes Arendt's exploration of how thinking, despite being a form of semblance, holds authenticity and significance within human experience.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Appearance, Sections 4-5 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 1

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, the discussion centers around Sections 4-5 of the first chapter of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. The conversation delves into Arendt's exploration of thinking, willing, and judging, and their impact on understanding justice, reason, and responsibility. Roger Berkowitz highlights the distinction between the soul and the mind, the concept of appearance versus being, and the nature of thinking as an essential human activity. Additionally, the episode addresses Arendt's views on the role of the artist and creativity, the implications of AI on thinking and creativity, and how semblance plays a crucial role in human life and meaning.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Appearance, Sections 1-3 | The Life of the Mind, Chapter 1

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we close read Chapter 1 of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind, examining the concept of Appearance. Our discussion touches upon Arendt's departure from traditional philosophical disdain for appearances and their importance, and the inherent relationship between appearance and reality. Roger Berkowitz highlights Arendt's critique of the scientific and philosophical focus on underlying causes over visible phenomena, and introduces Adolf Portman's ideas on the value of surface appearances beyond functionalism. The episode also explores Arendt's unique perspective on thinking's role in preventing evil, and the significance of puzzlement and the quest for meaning in a world dominated by appearance.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Thinking, Introduction | The Life of the Mind, Volume One

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 07:00:00 -0400

This episode inaugurates a new book! Now we're reading Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. Arendt's book, published posthumously in 1978 and, now, the new Critical Edition, delves into the nature of thinking, willing, and judging. Roger Berkowitz outlines the book's unfinished state, Arendt's editorial history, and her intention to compare English and German manuscripts. The episode highlights Arendt's famous epigraphs and contextualizes her philosophical journey from action to contemplation. A significant portion focuses on the political implications of Arendt's views on thoughtlessness, exemplified by her study of Adolf Eichmann (The Banality of Evil), which led her to investigate whether thinking can condition against evil. The discussion includes references to Kant and metaphysical traditions, emphasizing Arendt’s distinction between meaning and truth, and her belief that thinking seeks meaning rather than truth. In dialogue with members of the Virtual Reading Group, Roger Berkowitz touches upon contemporary issues, including the role of expertise and common sense, and how Arendt's thinking resonates today.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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On the Revolutionary Spirit with Neil Roberts and Jess Feldman | Bonus Episode

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston, we share a preview of our spring conference on Hannah Arendt and Black Revolutionary Thought, organized by Jess Feldman, where Neil Roberts will give the 3rd annual DeGruyter-Arendt Center keynote lecture on March 27th at Bard College. The lecture is open to the public, and global listeners can tune in to the livestream on our YouTube channel at 5:30pm EST.

This conversation covers some of the themes that will be explored in the conference and keynote lecture, including Arendt's concepts of revolutionary spirit, freedom, the challenges of building new traditions in times of political crisis, and the history, contributions, and intersections of Black political thought.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Neil Roberts is associate dean of the faculty and the John B. McCoy and John T. McCoy professor of Africana studies, political theory, and the philosophy of religion at Williams College. Roberts was President of the Caribbean Philosophical Association from 2016-19, and he served for several years on the Executive Editorial Board of the journal Political Theory. His publications include the books Creolizing Hannah Arendt (2024, with Marilyn Nissim-Sabat), A Political Companion to Frederick Douglass (2018), the collaborative volume Journeys in Caribbean Thought (2016), and the award-winning text Freedom as Marronage (2015).

Jess Feldman is the Klemens von Klemperer Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College. They hold an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University and a B.A. in Economics from Amherst College. Jess's research focuses on ideas of collective action in the history of political thought. Their book manuscript, Reinventing the General Strike, draws on 20th-century political thought, contemporary democratic theory, and African-American political thought to develop an account of how the general strike has shaped the democratic imaginary. Jess's work on W.E.B. Du Bois's Black Reconstruction has been published in Political Theory, and an essay on Hannah Arendt's political theory won the Best Paper Award (2024) from the Foundations of Political Theory section of the American Political Science Association. For more information about Jess and their work, visit jlfeldman.com.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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The Conquest of Space and the Stature of Man | Between Past and Future, Chapter 8 (final chapter)

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In our final chapter reading of Between Past and Future, we tackle Chapter 8. Roger Berkowitz discusses Arendt's essay 'The Conquest of Space and the Stature of Man,' which addresses how scientific advancements impact human dignity and the nature of being human. Berkowitz elaborates on Arendt's view that science, while expanding human capabilities, also risks dehumanizing people by treating them as mere data points. This leads to a broader discussion on the implications of artificial intelligence and the potential loss of common sense and human groundings as technology advances. The episode concludes with a reflection on how modern science transforms humanity and raises profound questions about human nature and existence.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Tribalism and the Human Condition with Sebastian Junger | Bonus Episode

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz, we feature a talk by Sebastian Junger, a keynote speaker at the Arendt Center's fall 2024 conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Junger, author of Tribe, discusses the complexities of tribalism, its positive and negative facets, and its relevance to contemporary society. He emphasizes the need to understand and elevate positive tribalism to create unity. Addressing liberal responsibilities in combatting negative tribalism, Junger critiques the left's failure to engage with class issues and patriotism. The episode includes a discussion between Junger and Roger Berkowitz on promoting civic engagement and national unity.

Sebastian Junger is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of THE PERFECT STORM, FIRE, A DEATH IN BELMONT, WAR, TRIBE, FREEDOM and IN MY TIME OF DYING. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has covered major international news stories around the world, and has received both a National Magazine Award and a Peabody Award. Junger is also a documentary filmmaker whose debut film "Restrepo", a feature-length documentary (co-directed with Tim Hetherington), was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Truth and Politics, Parts 4 + 5 | Between Past and Future, Chapter 7

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 08:06:26 -0500

In this episode, we close read the final parts of Hannah Arendt's essay "Truth and Politics" from her book Between Past and Future. Roger Berkowitz emphasizes the complex relationship between truth and politics in the context of Arendt's view that politics is inherently deceitful and power-driven, making it often adverse to truth. The episode explores historical and modern examples of this conflict, including mass manipulation of facts and propaganda, and Arendt's argument that politics needs to limit itself to preserve realms of truth in journalism, law, academia, and journalism. The discussion also touches on contemporary implications of Arendt's ideas regarding social media and ideological movements.

ABOUT:

If you like the podcast, please follow/subscribe and rate and review to help us expand our audience!

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Truth and Politics – Parts 1-3 | Between Past and Future, Chapter 7

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0500

We're back from winter break and back to our chapter readings of Hannah Arendt's seminal text, Between Past and Future. In this episode, we delve into Chapter 7, Truth and Politics. Roger Berkowitz discusses Arendt's arguments about how truth is often impotent in the political sphere, yet essential to maintaining a human world. We unpack the complex relationship between truth, politics, and opinion, focusing on how factual truths are frequently transformed into opinions, thus losing their power. The conversation also touches on contemporary issues like January 6th and the Holocaust, emphasizing the ongoing struggle to preserve factual truths in an increasingly politicized world. The episode concludes with reflections on the need for non-political institutions to safeguard truth.

Have you been enjoying this reading of Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future? As we approach the book's conclusion, we're collecting listeners' questions for a special Q&A episode. Submit your ideas on this form by February 14th!

ABOUT:

If you like the podcast, please follow/subscribe and rate and review to help us expand our audience!

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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On Citizen Assemblies with Nick Romeo | Bonus Episode

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0500

This bonus episode features an in-depth conversation with Nick Romeo, a longtime New Yorker magazine contributor and author. Nick Romeo is the author of The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy, and he teaches at UC Berkeley's graduate school journalism. The discussion centers around Romeo's recent article, What Could Citizens' Assemblies Do for American Politics, which particularly focused on an assembly in Bend, Oregon, that tackled the issue of youth homelessness. The conversation delves into the setup, process, and outcomes of the assembly, reflecting on the representativeness of the participants, the diversity of perspectives, the role of expert information, and the types of policy recommendations generated. The conversation also highlights broader themes such as the potential of citizens assemblies to break through political logjams, enhance civic engagement, and foster renewed civic education.

Learn more about the Democracy Innovation Hub at the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard, and our ongoing efforts to promote and implement citizens' assemblies through upcoming teacher trainings and initiatives in New York City.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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The Roundtable: On Civil Disobedience - Thoreau, Arendt, King | Bonus Episode

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0500

This week we're sharing a recording from our friends at the Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y, New York, a world-class destination for online courses on literature, the arts, history, and much more, brought to you by some of the greatest minds of our time.

In his lecture from October 22nd, Roger Berkowitz discusses his recent book On Civil Disobedience published by the Library of America, and explores the concept through the works and ideas of Henry David Thoreau, Hannah Arendt, and Martin Luther King Jr. Berkowitz argues that civil disobedience has uniquely American roots, tied to fundamental political ideas and experiences. He explains that while Thoreau viewed civil disobedience primarily as a moral resistance to unjust laws, and King pushed it further into the realm of political activism. Arendt's perspective highlights the collective and organized nature of modern civil disobedience as a political movement rather than a mere moral stance. Berkowitz also addresses contemporary movements such as Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, Black Lives Matter, and MAGA, analyzing their efficacy and the challenges of translating moral victories into policy changes. He concludes by emphasizing the importance of civility and nonviolence in civil disobedience, especially in the context of modern American politics.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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The Equivocations of Tribalism with Uday Mehta | Bonus Episode

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz, we feature a talk from the Arendt Center's fall 2024 conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Uday Mehta discusses the contrasting concepts of tribalism and cosmopolitanism, exploring how they shape identity, governance, and interpersonal relationships. He emphasizes the rootedness and exclusivity of tribalism in contrast to the voluntary and interest-based nature of cosmopolitanism. Beginning at minute 28:51 in this episode, a conversation between Mehta and podcast host Roger Berkowitz delves into the distinctions and overlaps between these constructs, and the profound role of tradition, familiarity, and the arts.

Uday Singh Mehta is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center and the 2022 Yehuda Elkana Fellow (awarded by Central European University and the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College). Professor Mehta has taught at several universities, including Princeton, Cornell, MIT, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Hull and Amherst College. He is the author of The Anxiety of Freedom: Imagination and Individuality in the Political Thought of John Locke(Cornell University Press, 1992) and Liberalism and Empire, (University of Chicago Press, 2000). Liberalism and Empire was awarded the J. David Greenstone prize for the best book in Political Theory by the American Political Science Association in 2002. In 2003, Mehta was one of ten recipients of the prestigious “Carnegie Scholars” prize given to “scholars of exceptional creativity.” His forthcoming book is titled A Different Vision: Gandhi’s Critique of Political Rationality.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Are We a Tribe? A Conversation with Ayishat Akanbi and Thomas Chatterton Williams | Bonus Episode

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz, we share a talk from the Arendt Center's fall 2024 conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Moderated by Roger Berkowitz, the conversation features Ayishat Akanbi, a fashion stylist and writer, and Thomas Chatterton Williams, an author and academic. The discussion delves into the notions of tribal identity, the impact of racial categorization, and the broader concept of cosmopolitanism. Akanbi and Williams share personal experiences and perspectives on racial identity, culture, and the importance of curiosity and self-critique in overcoming tribal boundaries.

Ayishat Akanbi is a fashion stylist and writer based in London. With over a decade of experience working with clients such as Rod Stewart, Labrinth, and Naomi Campbell, in the last five years she turned her focus to observing cultural trends. It’s widely accepted that everything is political, but its Ayishat view that much of the personal becoming politicised is helping to fuel tensions. Through her talks, interviews, and online posts, Ayishat challenges popular ideas by championing understanding, curiosity, and independent thought. Her belief that self-knowledge and honest reflection can resolve divisions has led her to speak at Google Headquarters, The Sydney Opera House, Tate Modern & The Victoria & Albert Museum.

Thomas Chatterton Williams is the author of Losing My Cool and Self-Portrait in Black and White. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Prior to that he was a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and a columnist at Harper’s. He is a 2022 Guggenheim fellow and a visiting fellow at AEI. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The London Review of Books, Le Monde and many other places, and has been collected in The Best American Essays and The Best American Travel Writing. He has received support from Yaddo, MacDowell and The American Academy in Berlin, where he is a member of the Board of Trustees. He is a visiting professor of the humanities and senior fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College and his next book, Nothing Was the Same will be published by Knopf in August 2025.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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HAC's Year in Review with Jana and Roger Part 2 | Bonus Episode

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Part 2 of the conversation between Director of Academic Programs Jana Mader and Founder and Academic Director Roger Berkowitz, as they reflect on 2024 at the Hannah Arendt Center. In this bonus episode, they explore the evolving landscape of democracy, the rise of chaos and political violence in the US, and the potential of citizen assemblies to bridge partisan divides.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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HAC's Year in Review with Jana and Roger, Part 1 | Bonus Episode

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode, Director of Academic Programs Jana Mader and Founder and Academic Director Roger Berkowitz take a moment time to reflect on 2024 at the Hannah Arendt Center. They discuss the impact of the Virtual Reading Group's intellectual, global community and discussions. They share take-aways from our October conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Finally, they introduce Jana Mader's forthcoming book, Walk Her Way New York City, which is available now for pre-order, and discuss Roger Berkowitz's new book On Civil Disobedience, which came out in October. Tune in next week for Part 2 of the conversation, where Roger and Jana explore the evolving landscape of democracy, the rise of chaos and political violence in the US, and the potential of citizen assemblies to bridge partisan divides.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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The Crisis in Culture, Part 2 | Between Past and Future, Chapter 6

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we discuss the second part of "The Crisis in Culture: Its Social and Political Significance" from Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, examining the social and political significance of culture and the role of judgment in a political community.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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The Bulletin: Mobs, Movements, and MAGA with Roger Berkowitz | Bonus Episode

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0500

This week we're sharing an episode from our friends at The Bulletin - Christianity Today's roundtable podcast, which dives into current events and breaking news, and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. Roger Berkowitz was invited to speak with Mike Cosper the day after the 2024 US presidential election about the rise of Donald Trump, the failures of the elite, and the importance of understanding and addressing the roots of political movements in America. We hope you enjoy this very special collaboration!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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Arendt's Gratitude for the World | Bonus Episode

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode, Roger Berkowitz discusses the relevance of Hannah Arendt's ideas on gratitude and the importance of understanding diverse perspectives in the context of modern societal challenges.

If you like this episode and our podcast in general, please leave us a comment on your favorite podcast platform! We appreciate your support!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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The Crisis in Culture, Part 1 | Between Past and Future, Chapter 6

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we discuss the first part of "The Crisis in Culture: Its Social and Political Significance" from Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, including artists' rebellion against society, the erosion of a shared cultural world, and the impacts of consumption and entertainment on enduring cultural objects. Roger Berkowitz highlights how Arendt sees crises as opportunities for deeper thinking and explores the potential for arts and sciences to resist societal pressures, despite the growing dominance of consumerism.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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The Crisis in Education | Between Past and Future, Chapter 5

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we discuss Hannah Arendt's essay "The Crisis in Education" from her book Between Past and Future. Roger Berkowitz explores Arendt's views on the essence of education, the challenges posed by modern educational practices, and the necessity of balancing conservatism with revolutionary potential in teaching. Additionally, we reflect on the recent passing of Jerome Kohn and his contributions to the Hannah Arendt Center.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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What is Freedom | Between Past and Future, Chapter 4, Parts 3-4

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0500

Continuing with the essay "What is Freedom" in Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, Roger Berkowitz explains Arendt's views on the disappearance of authority in modern society and the evolving understanding of freedom as the courage to act publicly with impact, highlighting the essential connection between political action and human freedom.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

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What is Freedom | Between Past and Future, Chapter 4, Parts 1-2

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 09:18:06 -0500

Focusing on the first two parts of the essay, "What is Freedom," in Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, Roger Berkowitz discusses Arendt's bold argument that true freedom is rooted in public action rather than individual will or intellectual motives. Berkowitz outlines Arendt's thought process, discussing how philosophical tradition has misunderstood freedom, perceiving it as an attribute of individual thought rather than political action. Exploring the origins of the modern idea of freedom from St. Paul and Augustine to the more ancient Greek understanding where freedom is based in public action, the session includes discussions on principles versus motives and goals, the role of courage, and the significance of freedom in action. Questions touch on the influence of misinformation and social media on public discourse, as well as comparing Arendt’s ideas with Habermas’ concept of the public sphere.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

What is Authority | Between Past and Future, Chapter 3, Parts 3-6

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0400

In this week's episode, Roger Berkowitz examines the notion of authority and its significance in political life. He discusses how the loss of authority impacts modern democracy and explores the differences between Platonic, Aristotelian, and Roman conceptions of authority.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism with Roger Berkowitz | Bonus Episode

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0400

A talk given by Roger Berkowitz at the conference, Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism: How Can We Imagine a Pluralist Politics? The Hannah Arendt Center's 16th annual fall conference was held at Bard College on October 17 + 18, 2024, sponsored by the Hannah Arendt Center, the Open Society University Network (OSUN), and the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard College.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

What is Authority | Between Past and Future, Chapter 3, Parts 1 + 2

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0400

In this week's master class, Roger Berkowitz delves into Hannah Arendt's critical examination of authority, tradition, and the political implications of their loss, drawing from her classic Between Past and Future, What is Authority, Parts 1 and 2.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

The Concept of History, Parts III and Epilogue | Between Past and Future, Chapter 2

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Roger Berkowitz discusses, through a close reading of Parts III and Epilogue of Chapter 2, "The Concept of History: Ancient and Modern," in Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, how modern society's pursuit of logical historical narratives can lead to totalitarianism by devaluing individual deeds and experiences in favor of overarching ideological plots.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

On Tribalism with Sebastian Junger | Bonus Episode

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0400

Host Roger Berkowitz hosts a conversation with Sebastian Junger about his work and insights on tribalism. Sebastian Junger is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of THE PERFECT STORM, FIRE, A DEATH IN BELMONT, WAR, TRIBE, FREEDOM and, most recently, IN MY TIME OF DYING. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has covered major international news stories around the world, and has received both a National Magazine Award and a Peabody Award. Junger is also a documentary filmmaker whose debut film "Restrepo", a feature-length documentary (co-directed with Tim Hetherington), was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston, the conversation covers Junger's experiences as a war journalist, his near-death experience described in his latest book In My Time of Dying, and the topics of tribalism and cosmopolitanism, which will be central to his keynote address at the Hannah Arendt Center's upcoming 16th annual conference at Bard College on October 17-18. The discussion delves into the themes and definitions of tribalism, such as the human need for community, the psychological impacts of modern society, and the importance of human dignity and patriotism.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place most Fridays: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

The Concept of History, Parts I and II | Between Past and Future, Chapter 2

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0400

A close reading and discussion of Parts I and II of the second chapter, "The Concept of History: Ancient and Modern," in Hannah Arendt's seminal text, Between Past and Future. In this episode, we discuss the shift from individual deeds to historical processes and the resulting implications for modern society. The conversation touches on themes of humanity's impact on nature, the dangers of scientific intervention, and the philosophical shifts in understanding progress and history.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

Tradition and the Modern Age | Between Past and Future, Chapter 1

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0400

A close reading and discussion of the first chapter in Hannah Arendt's seminal text, Between Past and Future, which describes the perplexing crises modern society faces. Through a series of eight exercises, Arendt shows how we can redistill the vital essence of political concepts and use them to regain a frame of reference for the future.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

Preface | Between Past and Future

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0400

The first discussion of Between Past and Future, which describes the perplexing crises modern society faces as a result of the loss of meaning of the traditional key words of politics: justice, reason, responsibility, virtue, and glory. Through a series of eight exercises, Arendt shows how we can redistill the vital essence of these concepts and use them to regain a frame of reference for the future.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

EDITED BY:

Politics is About Power | Bonus Episode

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0400

This bonus episode explores the concept of power and control in the context of the American political system. Host Roger Berkowitz argues that the Arendtian perspective on politics is not abstract - we see it in our world today. He discusses the tension between elites and the working class in American history, drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt and historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. He argues that while both major parties in the US are using Jacksonian rhetoric, they are neglecting the core principle of American republicanism: the dispersion of power to prevent any one group from controlling the state. Roger asserts that Hannah Arendt believed that a strong central government is dangerous and that freedom thrives in a system with multiple power centers.

We are beginning a new book: Between Past and Future, which describes the perplexing crises modern society faces as a result of the loss of meaning of the traditional key words of politics: justice, reason, responsibility, virtue, and glory. Through a series of eight exercises, Hannah Arendt shows how we can redistill the vital essence of these concepts and use them to regain a frame of reference for the future. Hannah Arendt Center members have exclusive access to the Virtual Reading Group (VRG) weekly meeting, upon which this podcast is based. Members have the opportunity to ask Roger questions about the text, and to engage with fellow thinkers about Arendt's ideas. Become a member and join the VRG!

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

Q&A on Eichmann in Jerusalem | Bonus Episode

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0400

The Hannah Arendt Center's Virtual Reading Group just finished reading and discussing Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, and we collected questions from our members and podcast listeners for a new regular feature of our podcast: Q&A with Roger and Jana! Hear listener questions about our latest read in this bonus episode.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

Conversation with John McWhorter and Ayishat Akanbi at the Alpine Fellowship Symposium on Language | Bonus Episode

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0400

With our reading group on hiatus this August, we bring you another special episode of the podcast! In this episode we delve into race and language. Recorded live at the Alpine Fellowship Foundation Symposium on Language in Tuscany in July 2024, this episode features a conversation with New York Times columnist and linguist John McWhorter and cultural commentator Ayishat Akanbi (who will be speaking at our conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism in October).

Together with your host Roger Berkowitz, they discuss the role of language in communication, the history and evolution of Black English, cultural appropriation and the N-word, distinguishing prejudice from racism, structural racism, and white supremacy, and the use of terms like Persons of Color and BIPOC. With an intro from Roger Berkowitz, which provides an Arendtian concept of language as a medium for communication and meaning.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

An Arendtian Perspective on Fake Quotes | Bonus Episode

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0400

Why create a fake Hannah Arendt quotation when so many real ones express a similar viewpoint? And, does it matter?

While on break from our chapter readings, we bring you a special episode of the podcast, where host Roger Berkowitz explores the implications of fake Hannah Arendt quotations. Drawn from his essay on the topic for Amor Mundi, this episode delves into best and worst practices around the impulse to make classic thinkers "more accessible" and how that ultimately influences culture.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

A Conversation with Bill T. Jones on Respectful Disagreement | Bonus Episode

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0400

On break from our chapter readings, we continue our series of bonus episodes with a conversation between our host, Roger Berkowitz, and Bill T. Jones, the Tony Award-winning artist, choreographer, and longtime Hannah Arendt Center member. Bill's a regular at the Hannah Arendt Center's Virtual Reading Group - a weekly gathering where members have been delving into the works of Hannah Arendt since 2014. This conversation explores the art of respectful disagreement and making space for others, as well as themes around navigating identity politics and code-switching. Together, they unpack the enduring relevance of Arendt's work in today's world.

Recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston.

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

Eichmann in Jerusalem: Bettina Stangneth

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0400

A discussion of Bettina Stangneth's Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of a Mass Murderer (New York: Random House 2014) Chapter 2, Eichmann in Conversation, p. 234-311

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

PRODUCTION:

Audio Editor, Production Consultant, & Original Score: Alex Fox Tschan at "The Fox & The Sound" studio in Brooklyn, NY. (pastelhell.com)

Eichmann in Jerusalem: Postscript

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0400

Eichmann in Jerusalem, final chapter: Postscript

ABOUT:

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

PRODUCTION:

Audio Editor, Production Consultant, & Original Score: Alex Fox Tschan at "The Fox & The Sound" studio in Brooklyn, NY. (pastelhell.com)

A Conversation with Leon Botstein on Campus Protest | Bonus Episode

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 09:19:08 -0400

This week we bring you a bonus episode! The first in a new series of engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations between your host, Roger Berkowitz, and renowned scholars and public intellectuals - to supplement our close readings of Arendt's books!

In this premiere bonus conversation, Roger Berkowitz and Leon Botstein, President of Bard College, have an honest discussion about their personal experience with Hannah Arendt and why her work remains vitally important today. Their conversation spans Arendt’s use of speech as an instrument of thinking, to the recent culture around the war in Gaza on college campuses, to Arendt’s idea of affectionate patience.

Recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston. Learn more about the work of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College.

Leave us a comment or review, and let us know what you think!

Eichmann in Jerusalem: Epilogue

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 10:10:06 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with the Epilogue Eichmann in Jerusalem. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: Judgment, Appeal, And Execution

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 11:44:25 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with the Chapter in Eichmann in Jerusalem titled Judgment, Appeal, And Execution. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: Evidence And Witnesses

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 14:31:28 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 11 of Eichmann in Jerusalem: Evidence And Witnesses. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Killing Centers

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 12:01:03 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 10 of Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Killing Centers. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: Deportations

Fri, 31 May 2024 11:01:25 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 9 of Eichmann in Jerusalem: Deportations. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: Duties of a Law-Abiding Citizen

Fri, 24 May 2024 13:39:07 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 8 of Eichmann in Jerusalem: Duties of a Law-Abiding Citizen. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Wannsee Conference, Or Pontius Pilate

Fri, 17 May 2024 11:13:53 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 7 of Eichmann In Jerusalem: The Wannsee Conference, Or Pontius Pilate. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Final Solution: Killing

Fri, 10 May 2024 09:38:05 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 6 of Eichmann In Jerusalem: The Final Solution: Killing. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Second Solution: Concentration

Fri, 03 May 2024 09:03:54 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 4 of Eichmann In Jerusalem: The Second Solution: Concentration. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: The First Solution: Expulsion

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 10:27:48 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 3 of Eichmann In Jerusalem: The First Solution: Expulsion. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: An Expert On The Jewish Question

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 10:51:45 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 3 of Eichmann In Jerusalem: An Expert On The Jewish Question. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Accused

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 10:57:30 -0400

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 2 of Eichmann In Jerusalem: The Accused. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Eichmann In Jerusalem: The House Of Justice

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:23:51 -0500

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 1 of Eichmann In Jerusalem: The House Of Justice. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, a Report on the Banality of Evil. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Origins of Totalitarianism: Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 12:33:49 -0500

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 13 of Origins of Totalitarianism: Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's classic analysis of the 20th century, The Origins of Totalitarianism. In Origins, Arendt tracks the rise of Fascism and Communism and explores what differentiates these regimes from past authoritarian systems. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Origins of Totalitarianism: Totalitarianism in Power

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 14:57:58 -0500

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 12 of Origins of Totalitarianism: Totalitarianism in Power. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's classic analysis of the 20th century, The Origins of Totalitarianism. In Origins, Arendt tracks the rise of Fascism and Communism and explores what differentiates these regimes from past authoritarian systems. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Origins of Totalitarianism: The Totalitarian Movement

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 09:39:37 -0500

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 11 of Origins of Totalitarianism: The Totalitarian Movement. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's classic analysis of the 20th century, The Origins of Totalitarianism. In Origins, Arendt tracks the rise of Fascism and Communism and explores what differentiates these regimes from past authoritarian systems. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

Origins of Totalitarianism: A Classless Society

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 09:42:07 -0500

This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz deals with Chapter 10 of Origins of Totalitarianism: A Classless Society. Our podcast follows the book that we are reading in our current Virtual Reading Group (VRG), which meets weekly on Fridays at 1 PM EST. We are currently reading Arendt's classic analysis of the 20th century, The Origins of Totalitarianism. In Origins, Arendt tracks the rise of Fascism and Communism and explores what differentiates these regimes from past authoritarian systems. THE HOST Roger Berkowitz is Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.