Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz

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 hol...

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 p...

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 ori...

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...

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 understa...

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 ...

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...

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 co...

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...

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 ...

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...

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.

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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...

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. Add...

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 f...

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 a...

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 ...