This Summer's Reading:
Arendt's final work, The Life of the Mind
From the publisher: The Life of the Mind, presented in a one-volume edition, is a rich, challenging analysis of man’s mental activity, considered in terms of thinking, willing, and judging. Edited by Mary McCarthy; Indices.
HAC members save 20% when purchasing The Life of the Mind from our friends at Oblong Books & Music. Use coupon code ARENDT19 at checkout.
VRG Session Schedule 2019
| June 7 | Introduction, The World’s Phenomenal Nature, (True) Being and (Mere) Appearance: the Two World Theory |
| June 21 | The Reversal of the Metaphysical Hierarchy: the Value of the Surface, Body and Soul; Soul and Mind, Appearance and Semblance |
| June 28 | The Thinking Ego and the Self: Kant, Reality and the Thinking Ego: the Cartesian Doubt and the Senses Communis, Science and Common Sense; Kant’s Distinction Between Intellect and Reason; Truth and Meaning |
| July 12 | Invisibility and Withdrawal, The Intramural Warfare Between Thought and Common Sense |
| July 26 | Thinking and Doing: the Spectator, Language and Metaphor |
| August 6 | Metaphor and the Ineffable |
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.
How the Virtual Reading Group Works
We read one book or collection of essays over a few months several times a year. Sessions are generally held every other Friday at 1pm Eastern Time. To prepare, we read selections that are between 20-50 pages. The group moves slowly to allow for close readings.
Sessions are held using the teleconferencing servie BlueJeans. Once you register, you can participate via the BlueJeans app or through your web browser.
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 Bluejeans, a teleconferencing platform, Roger Berkowitz and Samantha Hill take turns leading groups of 30 to 60 members through selected chapters.
Roger and Sam hosted this session on June 21, 2019. They explored the following chapters from Arendt's The Life of the Mind:
The Reversal of the Metaphysical Hierarchy: the Value of the Surface, Body and Soul; Soul and Mind, Appearance and Semblance
What Participants Are Saying
"That Roger is willing and able to put forth the effort to expand this work beyond the boundary's of academia is fortunate for us and important in the world." —Harold Bush
"The ability to download the sessions afterwards is invaluable for me keeping up with the group. I cannot always participate in session because of the time difference." —Yana Canteloupe
"I applaud you to invite people from around the world to study Hannah Arendt's work with Roger. That we can all connect and participate, it's simply wonderful!" —Gertrud Lawrance
"I've been reading Hannah Arendt for the past few years and this is the first opportunity I've had to hear her work discussed - It was exhilarating!" —Rhea Pretsell
"I think just the fact that is exists is the best thing. It is an honor to sit with such engaged and informed people sharing an interest in Arendt. It was clear from our last meeting in December that HAC has given much thought about ways to continue and I'm happy to work along next year with those proposals." —Donna Weeks
Reading History
The Virtual Reading Group began with Arendt’s The Human Condition over a 12 month period. We then read and discussed her essay “We Refugees”, along with the entirety of Between Past and Future; "Reflections on Little Rock" from Responsibility and Judgment, Crises of the Republic, and On Revolution. We also completed a 13-week, 10-session series discussing The Origins of Totalitarianism.
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Roger BerkowitzRoger Berkowitz is the Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center and Professor of Political Studies, Philosophy, and Human Rights at Bard College. Professor Berkowitz writes and speaks about how justice is made present in the world. -
Samantha HillSamantha Rose Hill is Acting Assistant Director and Visiting Assistant Professor of Political. She came to Bard in 2015 as a postdoctoral fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities. She received her doctorate in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2014. Her research and teaching interests include critical theory, the Frankfurt School, aesthetic theory, and the History of Political Thought.
