"Introduction Arendt into Politics"
What is politics? "Politics is based on the fact of human plurality" "Politics arises in what lies between men and is established as relationships" man (in the singular) is apolitical Politics deals with the coexistence and association of different men Therefore there is no real political substance ( not an expression of human nature)
Prejudice Against Politics, and What Politics is Today Fear and hope underlie our prejudices today Fear that humanity will destroy itself through politics by force (force does not equal power) Hope that humanity will rid the world, not of humanity, but of politics
Prejudice and Judgment It is the task of politics to shed light upon and dispel prejudices This is not the same as training people to be unprejudiced or that those who work toward such enlightenment are themselves free of prejudice
Genuine prejudice always conceals some previously formed judgment The function of having prejudice is to spare the individual from having to open himself to thoughtful confrontation with every aspect of reality At the center of politics lies a concern for a world A world is a space between men
Whenever humans come together, a space is generated that simultaneously gathers them into it and separates them from one another (by opinions) Every such space has its own structure that changes over time and reveals itself in: A private context as custom A social context as convention A public context as laws, constitutions, etc. It is the in between space that all human affairs are conducted
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The world is not an expression of human nature ( it is something we create....i.e. language) Humans produce what they themselves are not : "things" ( customs, language, etc.) Things are realms
Humans act and are conditioned by a world of things Things structure the "in-between" space where all human affairs are conducted
What is the Meaning of Politics? "The meaning of politics is freedom" Two contemporary experiences ignite the question " Does politics still have any meaning at all?" Totalitarianism The Atomic Bomb
The Meaning of Politics Politics and freedom "Freedom" in the Greek has two meanings Negative freedom ( not restricted) Positive freedom ( existing and moving in created space with peers) Free from labor (life's necessities) The crucial virtue is courage
Action 2 stages of action (breaking of a sequence) Beginning of action courage needed to embark on an enterprise (latching on to spontaneity or beginning of action) Action in concert Courage needed to embark on an adventure
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Beginnings of Actions Actions have spontaneity Spontaneity initiates unforeseeable consequences
Evolving and devolving spaces Greek Spaces: Household was realm where necessity and coercion were secured by force because Others labored Household equals hierarchy; rulers left to enter public and political space (equality and freedom) Freedom was not the purpose of politics. It was the substance and meaning of all things political
Modern Spaces: Everyone labors; no one is forced, but everyone is coerced by necessity A new phenomena- societal space- deals in inequalities of acquisition and productivity. Minimalist political space secures and life substance of politics is negotiating the use of brute force Freedom is not the substance and meaning of politics. It is an end and purpose of politics.
Greek Spaces: Plato set the Academy apart from political space The Academy was proposed as a substitute to political space Just as liberation from the household was prerequisite for political space, liberation from politics was prerequisite for the Academy Result- freedom is end/purpose of politics rather than its meaning
Modern Spaces: Limit political space as far as possible to realize freedom beyond the reach of government The criterion for Action is no longer freedom, but competency and efficiency in securing life's necessities Competency is housed in political experts who, as part of the state, monopolize force Result- radical use of force creates fear; then hope arises to rid the world of politics
Atomic Bombs Hiroshima Aug 6th, 1945 (mushroom cloud 20,000 ft) Nagasaki Aug 9th , 1945 (mushroom cloud 60,000 ft)
The Question of War Man is no longer acting as a natural organic being ( p. 157-158) (i.e. more than human powers- atomic energy) Nuclear war no longer presumes the coexistence of hostile parties as a given and no longer seeks simply to put an end to the conflict between them by force ( mutually agreed destruction) War ceases to be a means of politics "Total War" annihilates politics itself
Total War Total War consists of overstepping 2 boundaries The possibility of destroying whole peoples and whole constitutions The possibilities of destroying a historical and political reality housed in this world of products ( i.e. can destroy an entire history.........action and speech)
Total Terror Total terror is the essence of totalitarian government It first irradicates individuality and a capacity for action
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A world of conditioned reflexes arises devoid of the spontaneity carried in action
Ancient tyrannies were lawless; for totalitarianism, all laws have become laws of the movement Movements are ideologies Based in the laws of nature Based in the culmination of History (i.e..... nazi)
The central institution of totalitarianism is the secret police (i.e. nazi SS, Soviet KGB)
Four elements in every political action 1.) 2.) The ends political action pursues Ends degrade everything to mere means and rejects as useless all else Ends become a reality when political action stops The goals that orientate political action Remain constantly present when the ends are not yet achieved Goals set limits to both ends and means thereby sealing off action from the inherent danger of immoderation
3.) The meaning that reveals itself during political action - The meaning of political action exists as long as the activity continues 4.) The principle of political action
Principle of political action Principles of action are the fundamental convictions that a group of people share It sets the action into motion but is never the direct cause of action
What was a principle of action in one period can in another become a goal by which the action orients itself, or even an end that it pursues E.g. a principle of Action ( immortal fame) later becam a goal for a different of Action ( freedom) that later became an end for revolutionaries
Does politics still have any meaning at all?