Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz

By: Hannah Arendt Center
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  • Summary

  • This podcast offers close readings of Arendt’s books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations in the spirit of Hannah Arendt, who thought loving the world means neither uncritical acceptance nor contemptuous rejection, but the unwavering facing up to and comprehension of that which is.
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Episodes
  • Thinking, Introduction | The Life of the Mind, Volume One

    Thinking, Introduction | The Life of the Mind, Volume One
    Mar 14 2025
    This episode inaugurates a new book! Now we're reading Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. Arendt's book, published posthumously in 1978 and, now, the new Critical Edition, delves into the nature of thinking, willing, and judging. Roger Berkowitz outlines the book's unfinished state, Arendt's editorial history, and her intention to compare English and German manuscripts. The episode highlights Arendt's famous epigraphs and contextualizes her philosophical journey from action to contemplation. A significant portion focuses on the political implications of Arendt's views on thoughtlessness, exemplified by her study of Adolf Eichmann (The Banality of Evil), which led her to investigate whether thinking can condition against evil. The discussion includes references to Kant and metaphysical traditions, emphasizing Arendt’s distinction between meaning and truth, and her belief that thinking seeks meaning rather than truth. In dialogue with members of the Virtual Reading Group, Roger Berkowitz touches upon contemporary issues, including the role of expertise and common sense, and how Arendt's thinking resonates today.

    ABOUT:

    Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations. Released weekly, each episode provides listeners with a deeper understanding of Arendt's philosophy and its relevance to contemporary issues. Available on all major podcast platforms, listeners join us on a captivating intellectual journey through the mind of Hannah Arendt.

    New episodes every Friday morning! Join Roger Berkowitz, Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, as he discusses the works of German Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt (1906-1975).

    THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

    The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

    More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

    THE HOST:

    Roger Berkowitz is the Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is the editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition, and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt’s Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

    EDITED BY:

    Alex Fox Tschan is the editor & co-producer of the “Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz” podcast. He is a working musician, creative producer, & audio/visual editor at his Brooklyn-based studio, The Fox & The Sound. With 25 years of recording & performance experience, Tschan’s recent projects range from indie-pop albums to audiobooks for McNally Jackson. A full spread of his work & collaborations can be found at pastelhell.com
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • On the Revolutionary Spirit with Neil Roberts and Jess Feldman | Bonus Episode

    On the Revolutionary Spirit with Neil Roberts and Jess Feldman | Bonus Episode
    Mar 7 2025
    In this bonus episode recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston, we share a preview of our spring conference on Hannah Arendt and Black Revolutionary Thought, organized by Jess Feldman, where Neil Roberts will give the 3rd annual DeGruyter-Arendt Center keynote lecture on March 27th at Bard College. The lecture is open to the public, and global listeners can tune in to the livestream on our YouTube channel at 5:30pm EST. This conversation covers some of the themes that will be explored in the conference and keynote lecture, including Arendt's concepts of revolutionary spirit, freedom, the challenges of building new traditions in times of political crisis, and the history, contributions, and intersections of Black political thought. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Neil Roberts is associate dean of the faculty and the John B. McCoy and John T. McCoy professor of Africana studies, political theory, and the philosophy of religion at Williams College. Roberts was President of the Caribbean Philosophical Association from 2016-19, and he served for several years on the Executive Editorial Board of the journal Political Theory. His publications include the books Creolizing Hannah Arendt (2024, with Marilyn Nissim-Sabat), A Political Companion to Frederick Douglass (2018), the collaborative volume Journeys in Caribbean Thought (2016), and the award-winning text Freedom as Marronage (2015). Jess Feldman is the Klemens von Klemperer Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College. They hold an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University and a B.A. in Economics from Amherst College. Jess's research focuses on ideas of collective action in the history of political thought. Their book manuscript, Reinventing the General Strike, draws on 20th-century political thought, contemporary democratic theory, and African-American political thought to develop an account of how the general strike has shaped the democratic imaginary. Jess's work on W.E.B. Du Bois's Black Reconstruction has been published in Political Theory, and an essay on Hannah Arendt's political theory won the Best Paper Award (2024) from the Foundations of Political Theory section of the American Political Science Association. For more information about Jess and their work, visit jlfeldman.com. ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations. Released weekly, each episode provides listeners with a deeper understanding of Arendt's philosophy and its relevance to contemporary issues. Available on all major podcast platforms, listeners join us on a captivating intellectual journey through the mind of Hannah Arendt. New episodes every Friday morning! Join Roger Berkowitz, Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, as he discusses the works of German Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt (1906-1975). THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER: The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/ More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/ THE HOST: Roger Berkowitz is the Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is the editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition, and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt’s Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany. EDITED BY: Alex Fox Tschan is the editor & co-producer of the “Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz” podcast. He is a working musician, creative producer, & audio/visual editor at his Brooklyn-based studio, The Fox & The Sound. With 25 years of recording & performance experience, Tschan’s recent projects range from indie-pop albums to audiobooks for McNally Jackson. A full spread of his work & collaborations can be found at pastelhell.com
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    39 mins
  • The Conquest of Space and the Stature of Man | Between Past and Future, Chapter 8 (final chapter)

    The Conquest of Space and the Stature of Man | Between Past and Future, Chapter 8 (final chapter)
    Feb 28 2025

    In our final chapter reading of Between Past and Future, we tackle Chapter 8. Roger Berkowitz discusses Arendt's essay 'The Conquest of Space and the Stature of Man,' which addresses how scientific advancements impact human dignity and the nature of being human. Berkowitz elaborates on Arendt's view that science, while expanding human capabilities, also risks dehumanizing people by treating them as mere data points. This leads to a broader discussion on the implications of artificial intelligence and the potential loss of common sense and human groundings as technology advances. The episode concludes with a reflection on how modern science transforms humanity and raises profound questions about human nature and existence.

    ABOUT:

    Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations. Released weekly, each episode provides listeners with a deeper understanding of Arendt's philosophy and its relevance to contemporary issues. Available on all major podcast platforms, listeners join us on a captivating intellectual journey through the mind of Hannah Arendt.

    New episodes every Friday morning! Join Roger Berkowitz, Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, as he discusses the works of German Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt (1906-1975).

    THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

    The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

    More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/arendt_center and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

    THE HOST:

    Roger Berkowitz is the Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is the editor of The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition, and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt’s Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits HA: The Journal of the Hannah Arendt Center and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

    EDITED BY:

    Alex Fox Tschan is the editor & co-producer of the “Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz” podcast. He is a working musician, creative producer, & audio/visual editor at his Brooklyn-based studio, The Fox & The Sound. With 25 years of recording & performance experience, Tschan’s recent projects range from indie-pop albums to audiobooks for McNally Jackson. A full spread of his work & collaborations can be found at pastelhell.com
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    59 mins

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