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A Carnival of Destruction
The elite's complicity in mass movements lies in their thrill at unmasking societal hypocrisy, yet this descent into shamelessness fuels a carnival of destruction that empowers mob rule. Straddling the line between boldness and brazen disregard, figures like Trump and Musk embody the seductive but corrosive allure of totalitarian nihilism.11-17-2024
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Will the Youth Turn Right?
Roger BerkowitzN.S. Lyons explores an argument made Angela Nagle in her book Who Killed All the Normies? That the moral probity of the left will eventually strangle the energy of the movement and turn young and rebellious free thinkers to the right.
10-23-2022
Legally, The Whole Ballgame
Roger BerkowitzOn December 7th, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of Moore v. Harper, a case that may very well influence the fate of the American Republic.
10-23-2022
Remembering Ursula Ludz (1936-2022)
A Tribute by Friends and Colleagues
Ursula Ludz (1936-2022), eminent scholar, editor, and translator of Hannah Arendt’s writings, has passed away. For decades, her work shaped international Arendt scholarship. We’ve gathered testimonies from friends and colleagues who honor and remember her life and work.10-09-2022
1619 to 2022
Roger BerkowitzI’ve been teaching the 1619 Project in classes this week. I was excited to see that Mark Weitzmann has a long essay exploring Nikole Hannah Jones and the controversy around the 1619 Project as a rorschach test for the American discourse on race.
10-09-2022
Looking Critically at DEI Curricula in K-12 Education
Roger BerkowitzThe Editors of the Journal of Free Black thought have published an abridged version of their report on “Six Unsettling Features of DEI in K-12.” It is hardly a demonization of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion syllabi. But the Journal’s report does raise serious questions about the potential harms associated with some but certainly not all DEI practices.
10-02-2022
The End of Reality
Roger BerkowitzEwa Płonowska Ziarek turns to Hannah Arendt to argue that digital disinformation is threatening reality itself.
10-02-2022
There Are No Holes of Oblivion
Roger BerkowitzNo matter how fully a regime might seek to make people, facts, or inconvenient truths disappear, “there are no holes of oblivion.” Hannah Arendt found in the downfall of the Nazis and the Bolsheviks some hope, namely that totalitarian regimes will always fail when confronted with human freedom and the claim of reality. Aaron Sarin writes about the efforts in China to perfect the surveillance state–and why it is fated to fail.
10-02-2022
Is Alt-Right the New Black?
Roger BerkowitzN.S. Lyons argues that if the youth of today rebel, "they’re likely to rebel in the only direction they now can: by becoming more traditionalist and conservative.”
09-25-2022
Hannah Arendt at Documenta 15
Roger BerkowitzThis was the 15th Documenta, and the most controversial. It was marred by charges of antisemitism which were returned with accusations of racism. I am not an artist and had never been to a Documenta. But I was particularly interested because I would be participating in Documenta 15 as part of the final installation by the Cuban artist Tania Bruguera and her Instituto de Artivismo Hannah Arendt (INSTAR). The Arendt Center sponsored three talks throughout the week.
09-25-2022