Welcome to the Virtual Reading Group
Join us for a thoughtful and spirited exploration of the works of Hannah Arendt. Founder and Academic Director Roger Berkowitz personally leads the VRG each week and engages closely with members as he conducts in-depth readings of Arendt's books. We read one book or collection of essays over the course of a few months; sessions are held (almost) every Friday at 1pm Eastern Time. To prepare, we read selections ranging from 20 to 50 pages. The group progresses slowly to allow for close readings. Sessions are conducted via Zoom. See below for information on how to participate and what the group is currently reading. If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].
What We're Reading Next
Beginning Friday, June 12th, we'll begin reading Responsibility and Judgment, Hannah Arendt's indispensable investigation into some of the most troubling and important issues of our time.
Responsibility and Judgment gathers together unpublished writings from the last decade of Arendt’s life, where she addresses fundamental questions and concerns about the nature of evil and the making of moral choices. At the heart of the book is a profound ethical investigation, “Some Questions of Moral Philosophy,” in which Arendt confronts the inadequacy of traditional moral “truths” as standards to judge what we are capable of doing and examines anew our ability to distinguish good from evil and right from wrong. We also see how Arendt comes to understand that alongside the radical evil she had addressed in earlier analyses of totalitarianism, there exists a more pernicious evil, independent of political ideology, whose execution is limitless when the perpetrator feels no remorse and can forget his acts as soon as they are committed.
EDITION INFORMATION:
Title: Responsibility and Judgment
Publisher: Schocken
Published: 2005
ISBN9780805211627
Pages: 336
OUR UPCOMING READING SCHEDULE
The Virtual Reading Group meets weekly on Zoom from 1-2:30pm EST. Responsibility and Judgment will take us from June 12 through July 31, 2026, with a week off for the Independence Day weekend in the United States. Please see the attached file for a downloadable and printable reading schedule. Check back for any updates. As always, please email us if you have any questions!
Participation is Free for HAC Members and Bard Students
If you're not a member yet, join the Hannah Arendt Center and click "yes" when asked if you'd like to participate. Once you're signed up, you'll receive emails with all the information you need to attend the upcoming VRG session. All sessions are recorded and made available to members on our Youtube channel.
In the VRG but want more?
The Hannah Arendt Center Dialogue Project gathers smaller groups of readers to further explore and discuss texts from the Virtual Reading Group. Participation in the VRG is free for HAC members.
See the Virtual Reading Group in Action
The Virtual Reading Group is a lively discussion based on a close reading of selected works by Hannah Arendt. Using Zoom, Roger Berkowitz and Jana Mader, lead groups of 60 to 100 members through selected chapters.
What Participants Are Saying
"I originally became a member during the pandemic because a New York Times article recommended the VRG. I have barely missed a Friday since. Now have a shelf of Arendt books that we have read together and which have helped me understand the historic events Arendt observed 90 years ago and their eerie resonance with the historic moment we find ourselves in now. Thank you, Roger, and the group!" - a senior citizen member
"Learning from HAC keeps me sane and hopeful both for my country (the Philippines) and the entire world." - Anamarie Avecilla, Makati City, Phillippines
"I value the Bard community, exchange of thoughts and ideas, the shared values, the reading group. The sense of friendship. Plus, we have to join forces to protect our democracy." - Barbara Bechtolsheim, Hamden, CT