Amor Mundi

The weekly publication of the Hannah Arendt Center

What is most difficult, writes Arendt, is to love the world as it is. Loving the world means neither uncritical acceptance nor contemptuous rejection, but the unwavering facing up to and comprehension of that which is. The opinions expressed in essays on our site are those of their authors.

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Temptations of Tyranny

Rod Dreher’s conflicted support for President Trump illustrates a broader crisis among intellectual conservatives who fear the "soft totalitarianism" of liberal institutions yet embrace the hard authoritarianism of executive overreach. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s political thought, the essay contends that true freedom is preserved not through charismatic leaders but through the multiplication and decentralization of citizen power. Revitalizing democracy, it argues, requires stubborn, local acts of collective governance rather than the dangerous temptation to concentrate authority in a single figure.

04-27-2025

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Bibi's Victory: Understanding the Israeli Elections

Shmuel Lederman, a visiting scholar with the Hannah Arendt Center, discusses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's victory in the recent Israeli elections.

03-25-2015

Article, Post

Benjamin Lee Whorf's Thoughts on Thinking: On Language

American linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf reflects on the manner in which language shapes our thinking in this week's Thoughts on Thinking.

03-25-2015

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Amor Mundi 3/22/15

In our Amor Mundi, we challenge our colleges to make a safe place for dangerous thinking, reflect on the dangers posed by Salafist Jihad, and much more.

03-23-2015