Freedom in Hannah Arendt's political philosophy

From Arendt's perspective, politics can only exist on the basis of freedom. The author defends the dignity of politics by stating that the raison d'être of politics is freedom and its domain of experience is action. In her view, the exercise of freedom requires a politically organised common space, while the political dimension results from human beings' actions in appearing before others, reaffirming their uniqueness and distancing themselves from the internal character of freedom, experienced since the Christian era. The plurality of human life cannot be ignored, and politics must take this fact into account, as the public space is founded on the differences between citizens. Therefore, the concept of plurality is consistent with the exercise of freedom, and life in common stimulates the ability to evaluate and judge as a member of a community.

Pagina's: 80, Paperback, Our Knowledge Publishing