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    JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times Conference poster

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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.

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About

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. 

  • Image for The Radical Politics of Joy
    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
  • Image for Civil Disobedience and the Spirit of American Democracy
    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
  • Image for Temptations of Tyranny
    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
  • Image for An Open Letter To My Friends Who Signed “Philosophy for Palestine”
    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
Featured Article

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


Article, Featured

Children of Light and Children of Darkness

When Melvin Rogers went looking for insight about politics today, he skipped over his old friend John Dewey and chose Reinhold Niebuhr.
03-09-2025
Article

Patrimonialism

Stephen Hanson and Jeffrey Kopstein argue that to understand President Trump, we must see him as part of a worldwide return to clientist and patrimonial authority.
03-09-2025
Article, Featured

More on Saving the Open Society

An 'open society' doesn’t endure simply because it promises freedom. Without a deeper sense of purpose, sacrifice, and shared values, people will turn to the structure and certainty of closed societies. Liberalism’s weakness lies in its rejection of the very virtues—duty, listening, loyalty, and struggle—that give life meaning. If an 'open society' cannot offer something equally compelling, people will inevitably seek purpose elsewhere.
03-02-2025
Article

The Danger of the Woke Right
 

Clinging to grievance—whether from the left or the right—only deepens our suffering and keeps us trapped in cycles of reactivity. This article reflects on how the desire to control language and define oppression, once wielded by one side, is now embraced by the other, showing that without awareness, we simply mirror what we resist rather than finding a path beyond it.
03-02-2025
Article, Featured

A More Open Society

The future demands a genuinely open and participatory society—one built on awareness, deep listening, and ethical responsibility. Yet history moves in cycles, and the rise of strong gods reflects a reaction to the excesses of an "open society." The struggle is not openness vs. closure, but participation vs. domination. Power must be returned to the people through institutions that prevent both stagnation and authoritarianism. Governance must be driven by engagement, where citizens actively shape their future. The challenge is not just to defend an "open society," but to ensure openness does not become its own form of exclusion.
02-23-2025
Article

Deep Reading

Deep reading isn’t about luxury retreats or escaping the modern world—it’s about the rare moments when a book holds your full attention, even amidst life’s demands. The struggle is real, but the hope lies in those stolen minutes, where a single passage can change everything.
02-23-2025
Article, Featured

A Constitutional Crisis?

Is the U.S. facing a constitutional crisis, or is it all political theater? This analysis breaks down the escalating tensions between the executive branch and the courts—separating fact from fiction and exploring what’s really at stake for American democracy.
02-16-2025
Article, Featured

Only Power Can Check Power
 

Hannah Arendt saw America’s strength in its dispersion of power, rooted in civic engagement and local governance. As executive authority expands, the true challenge is not just legal resistance but the reinvigoration of collective action. Can we reclaim the founding spirit of self-governance, or will we cede our power to those who seek to consolidate it?
02-02-2025
Article, Featured

Project Presidential Power

The consolidation of presidential power through executive actions and the theory of the unitary executive poses a fundamental threat to the constitutional separation of powers and democracy, exacerbated by media failures to address these actions beyond partisan framing.
01-26-2025
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