Amor Mundi

The weekly newsletter 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.

Subscribe to the Newsletter

About

Amor Mundi (for love of the world) is an exploration of Arendtian topics delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning. This includes deep dives into the works of Hannah Arendt and the implications of her ideas on the world today. We feature varied, nuanced, and often opposing viewpoints in this non-partisan publication, and brave and provocative ideas that will help you (re)discover the joy of deep thinking and caring about the world.

When you subscribe to the newsletter, you'll also receive first-hand updates on what we’re doing at HAC (conferences, events, workshops, etc.), an Arendt Quote of the Week with in-depth analysis from Arendt scholars from around the world, and highlights of the work being done on campus by our Student Fellows. Be among the first to know about special offers from our partners and upcoming events!

We've been publishing weekly essays here on our website since 2010, and are now transitioning to the publication platform Medium. You can still read for free with links from our email each Sunday! But now you can highlight sections and comment, too!

Browse our Library of Amor Essays on Medium

A note to new Medium users: if you see an offer pop-up, just simply X out to close and continue reading. You can also Follow HAC on Medium and Subscribe to our publications, to receive additional notifications so you don't miss an essay.

The Radical Politics of Joy

"Is Joy really what Arendt wants us to be talking about, amidst the most racist, cruel, and criminal American administration since the Civil Rights era?" So asked one of my favorite former students, protesting the theme of this year's Hannah Arendt Center Conference: JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times.

READ MORE
Civil Disobedience and the Spirit of American Democracy

Hannah Arendt wrote that, “Dissent implies consent, and is the hallmark of free government.” We are at a moment when dissent is required if we are to preserve our freedoms.

READ MORE
Temptations of Tyranny

“If this isn’t tyranny, what is?” So asks Rod Dreher, one of President Trump’s most steadfast intellectual supporters, now increasingly alarmed by the President’s abuses of power.

READ MORE
An Open Letter To My Friends Who Signed “Philosophy for Palestine”

These are dark times as multiple crises are erupting around the world while talk of a global conflagration is heard in many circles. These are also times that try human relationships, friendships, and alliances.

READ MORE

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

All Categories

Post

Video Archives - Roger Berkowitz L&T Lecture (2010)

In this week's Video Archives, we take a look back at a lecture Roger Berkowitz delivered back in 2010 on the importance of humanity.

08-07-2014

Post

Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, on Thinking

French writer and moralist Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, provides this week's Thought on Thinking.

08-06-2014

Post

Amor Mundi 8/3/14

In this week's Amor Mundi, we reflect on conservatism in the contemporary political environment, wonder whether liberal Zionism has exhausted its options, and wonder about a "crisis in culture" as evident in creative writing.

08-04-2014

Post

The Demand for “Beginning” in the Face of the Unprecedented

HAC Associate Fellow Jeff Jurgens explains Arendt's view that judges need to be equipped to make decisions beyond the scope of legal precedent, such as in cases of genocide. He then explains how this view informed her support for the creation of an international criminal court.

08-04-2014

Post

The Radical As the Vanguard of the Status Quo

Roger Berkowitz argues that one-sided perspectives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict serve to only perpetuate the violence. He then observes how leaders and discussions that shy away from radicalism could begin to forge a middle ground.

08-02-2014

Post

Our 100/10 Membership Challenge Ends Tomorrow!

Roger Berkowitz addresses the HAC community as part of the 100/10 membership challenge, which ends Friday, August 1st.

07-31-2014

Post

Video Archives - Lunchtime Talk with Douglas Irvin (2012)

This week, we take a look back at a 2012 Lunchtime Talk with Douglas Irvin on the origins of genocide.

07-31-2014

Post

Wittgenstein on Thinking

Ludwig Wittgenstein provides this week's Thoughts on Thinking.

07-30-2014

Post

Death and the Public Realm

Scholar Lance Strate discusses Arendt's remarks on the loss of the public realm and explains how this unique kind of environment relates to immortality and writing.

07-28-2014