Lunchtime Talk with Alexei Gloukhov
Arendt and the Question of Positive Freedom
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Arendt Center
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
This event occurred on:
Tue. November 18, 12:30 pm
The present state of political theory is defined through its inability to come to terms with the idea of positive freedom. This issue has numerous mundane consequences from the evident decline of liberalism after John Rawls to the helplessness of political philosophy faced with the rising tide of nationalism and fundamentalism all around the world. Partly, this theoretical feature can be explained through the prevalence of analytic school of thought, where freedom is always defined negatively either as “non-interference” (Isaiah Berlin) or as “non-domination” (Philip Pettit and other communitarians). Hannah Arendt represents a very different current in 20th century philosophy. Her essay “What is Freedom?” as well as her other works (“On Revolution” etc.) provide some essential insights into the idea of positive freedom. However, her own verdict on freedom may sound no less negative. Indeed, she demands from her readership to think of freedom as “non-sovereignty." Alexei Gloukhov will discuss the exact meaning of this demand and Arendt’s overall impact on our understanding of political freedom.
The present state of political theory is defined through its inability to come to terms with the idea of positive freedom. This issue has numerous mundane consequences from the evident decline of liberalism after John Rawls to the helplessness of political philosophy faced with the rising tide of nationalism and fundamentalism all around the world. Partly, this theoretical feature can be explained through the prevalence of analytic school of thought, where freedom is always defined negatively either as “non-interference” (Isaiah Berlin) or as “non-domination” (Philip Pettit and other communitarians). Hannah Arendt represents a very different current in 20th century philosophy. Her essay “What is Freedom?” as well as her other works (“On Revolution” etc.) provide some essential insights into the idea of positive freedom. However, her own verdict on freedom may sound no less negative. Indeed, she demands from her readership to think of freedom as “non-sovereignty." Alexei Gloukhov will discuss the exact meaning of this demand and Arendt’s overall impact on our understanding of political freedom.