What We're Readings
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Impartiality and Objectivity
In Between Past and Future, Hannah Arendt explores the critical distinction between impartiality and objectivity, emphasizing the necessity of understanding multiple perspectives in both art and politics. Through her essays, Arendt reflects on how the dual totalitarian regimes and the Holocaust necessitate a reevaluation of our moral and political traditions, urging us to cultivate the practice of thinking without the constraints of historical norms. This book serves as an essential guide for navigating contemporary political discourse, advocating for a return to impartial judgment as a means of fostering a shared world amidst diversity.What We're Readings
What we are reading: The Shoah After Gaza
Pankaj Mishra, who spoke at the 2022 Arendt Center Conference Rage and Reason, reflects on how to think about the Shoah in the wake of the war in Gaza and Israel.Arendt and Big Data
Roger BerkowitzDaniel Brennan has a new paper on Hannah Arendt’s thinking as it relates to Big Data and Artificial intelligence.
Progressive Workplace Problems
Roger BerkowitzRyan Grim takes on the elephant in the room of progressive politics, the fact that political organizations on the left are spending more time on internal politics than they are on actually organizing to achieve their political goals.
Reason in Politics: Lawrence Lessig interviews John Gastil
On his podcast Another Way, Larry Lessig spoke with John Gastil of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. They discussed the polarized media landscape and specific steps we can take to improve deliberation, understanding, and the use of reason. Gastil's book, Hope for Democracy, tells the story of the Citizens' Initiative Review in Oregon.On Recognition
Peter Gordon reviews Axel Honneth’s new book on recognition and argues that recognition is the cornerstone of who we are as well as our claims for justice and inclusion. Russian Fascism
Roger BerkowitzTimothy Snyder explains how Russia is a fascist state today and why that matters.
Arendt as an Epistolary Friend
Madeleine Thien reads Hannah Arendt’s correspondence and finds that they add to her depth as a thinker.Socrates and the Culture Wars
Roger BerkowitzPeter Minowitz writes about how teaching Socrates’ Apology can push us past the binaries of our culture wars.