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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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A Note of Gratitude
Our Library feature this week is a note to Arendt thanking her for her help on a particular translation of Martin Heidegger's "Being and Time."09-12-2014
Amor Mundi 9/7/14
In this week's Amor Mundi, we examine Bettina Stangneth's treatment of Adolf Eichmann, appreciate the moment of discovery when seeking to learn a foreign language, appreciate Zephyr Teachout's research into the national legacy of corruption in American politics, and much more.09-08-2014
Work and Culture
Hans Teerds discusses how the notion of work, often overlooked by other Arendt scholars, helps to produce a sharable world of things that is integral to the preservation of culture.09-08-2014
Did Eichmann Think?
Roger Berkowitz discusses Bettina Stangneth's book "Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of a Mass Murderer" and argues that Arendt's report on the banality of evil has withstood the test of time, history, and countless critiques.09-07-2014
On Mark Lilla on Hannah Arendt
Roger Berkowitz addresses a few of the common sources of anger and contempt that are leveled against Hannah Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem."09-06-2014
Video Archives - Lunchtime Talk with Ory Amitay (2012)
This week, we look back on a 2012 Lunchtime Talk with Professor Ory Amitay on the nature and history of monotheism.09-04-2014
Henri Bergson on Thinking
French philosopher Henri Bergson provides this week's Thoughts on Thinking.09-03-2014