We begin the second book in Hannah Arendt's unfinished manuscript, The Life of the Mind. This week's episode provides an overview of Part II on Willing, focusing on the concept of the will and its importance to her larger project of political thinking. Host Roger Berkowitz discusses the historical development of the will from the Greeks to the Christians and moderns, and its role in freedom and action. Berkowitz highlight's Arendt's investigation of thinking, willing, and judging as central facu...
Jun 27, 2025•55 min•Ep. 96
In this conversation between Roger Berkowitz and James Fishkin, a Stanford University expert on deliberative polling and deliberative democracy, they discuss the effectiveness for addressing the ills of democracy. Fishkin highlights four primary problems in modern democracy: the difficulty in determining the will of the people; extreme partisan polarization; the lack of deliberative voting; and limited citizen engagement. He outlines how deliberative polls, involving informed discussions among r...
Jun 20, 2025•53 min•Ep. 95
In this episode, Roger Berkowitz leads a discussion on the concluding sections of the book on Thinking, part of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. Berkowitz elaborates on Arendt's insights into the nature of thinking and its relation to the real world. Berkowitz highlights Arendt's belief that thinking interrupts conventional processes and challenges us to be autonomous and independent. He emphasizes the dangers of abstract thought disconnected from reality and the value of encountering the w...
Jun 13, 2025•49 min•Ep. 94
This episode centers on Hannah Arendt's exploration of Socrates as a model for thinking, outlined in Sections 18 and 19 of Chapter 3 in The Life of the Mind. Arendt argues that Socratic thinking, characterized by the internal dialogue of the 'two in one,' is crucial for understanding human thinking. Host Roger Berkowitz contrasts this with Greek and Roman perspectives on thinking, highlighting that for Socrates, thinking itself holds intrinsic meaning and is essential for being fully alive. We d...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 93
In this episode, Roger Berkowitz continues with a close reading of Sections 16-17 of Hannah Arendt's unfinished book, The Life of the Mind. Berkowitz explores the key themes of the first part of the book, Thinking, focusing on Chapter 3, titled What Makes Us Think? He discusses the three driving questions of Arendt's work: whether thinking prevents us from doing evil, how thinking as an action interacts with the human condition, and whether thinking is a quest for meaning rather than a search fo...
May 30, 2025•54 min•Ep. 92
We're on to Chapter III of The Life of the Mind: What Makes Us Think? In this episode, we examine Sections 14 and 15. Roger Berkowitz discusses key themes, such as the relationship between being and appearance, the authenticity and fallacy of the thinking ego, and thinking's quest for meaning. He delves into the importance of metaphors in language to link thought to the world, and outlines the distinctions and connections between post-philosophical and pre-philosophical Greek thought. The latter...
May 23, 2025•58 min•Ep. 91
In this bonus episode of the podcast, we're sharing a discussion between host Roger Berkowitz and one of the General Editors of the Critical Edition of Hannah Arendt's Complete Works, Thomas Wild, and two of the co-editors of the new edition of The Life of the Mind , Thomas Bartscherer and Wout Cornelissen. The conversation explores the significance of the Critical Edition, the distinction between truth and meaning, and the dual origin of The Life of the Mind stemming from Arendt’s earlier works...
May 16, 2025•43 min•Ep. 90
In this episode, we continue exploring Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind, focusing on the nature, meaning, and purpose of thinking. Host Roger Berkowitz emphasizes Arendt's exploration of thinking as an end in itself, comparing it to the breath of life. He discusses the limitations of language and metaphors in capturing the ineffable nature of thought, the dangers of overly persuasive metaphors, and the distinction between truth and meaning. The conversation with Virtual Reading Group partici...
May 09, 2025•48 min•Ep. 89
In this episode, we discuss Sections 11-12 of Chapter 2 of The Life of the Mind, Hannah Arendt's final work. Host Roger Berkowitz emphasizes the notion that thinking involves a radical withdrawal from the world of appearances, and examines metaphors as fundamental to philosophical language. Berkowitz touches on how philosophical thinking, unlike everyday thinking, operates through abstract ideas that are deeply relevant to understanding human actions and societal structures. Questions from Virtu...
May 02, 2025•53 min•Ep. 88
In this episode, we focus on the second chapter of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. The discussion is a critical exploration of Arendt's examination of thinking as an integral, yet radically autonomous, aspect of human life that is separated from the world of reality and appearances. Host Roger Berkowitz highlights Arendt's premise that thinking can be dangerous due to its detachment from reality and its capacity to engage in abstract thought. We also touch on the distinction between thinki...
Apr 25, 2025•52 min•Ep. 87
This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz continues our analysis of the first chapter of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. Roger Berkowitz discusses Arendt's exploration into the nature of thinking, how it differs from contemplation, and its elusive appearance in the world. He delves into Arendt's belief that thinking is an activity disconnected from the search for truth, aiming instead at the quest for meaning. Finally, the episode examines Arendt's views on the distinction...
Apr 18, 2025•52 min•Ep. 86
This bonus episode of the podcast features an in-depth conversation with Celso Lafer, a former student of Hannah Arendt. The discussion covers Lafer's experiences studying with her at Cornell University, as well as his contributions to translating her works into Portuguese, and the influence of her ideas on his multifaceted career in academia and politics. The conversation includes Arendt's teaching methods, the relevance of her courses on political experiences of the 20th century, and her views...
Apr 11, 2025•55 min•Ep. 85
This episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz focuses on a close reading of sections 6 and 7 of the first chapter of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. Berkowitz, speaking from Buenos Aires, dives into Arendt's inquiries into the nature of thinking, how it relates to reality, and its appearance in the world. Key topics include the enigmas surrounding section 7 of the book, the Cartesian thinking ego, and the concept of common sense as defined by Arendt. Discussions also touch upo...
Apr 04, 2025•59 min•Ep. 84
In this episode, the discussion centers around Sections 4-5 of the first chapter of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind. The conversation delves into Arendt's exploration of thinking, willing, and judging, and their impact on understanding justice, reason, and responsibility. Roger Berkowitz highlights the distinction between the soul and the mind, the concept of appearance versus being, and the nature of thinking as an essential human activity. Additionally, the episode addresses Arendt's view...
Mar 28, 2025•43 min•Ep. 83
In this episode, we close read Chapter 1 of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind, examining the concept of Appearance. Our discussion touches upon Arendt's departure from traditional philosophical disdain for appearances and their importance, and the inherent relationship between appearance and reality. Roger Berkowitz highlights Arendt's critique of the scientific and philosophical focus on underlying causes over visible phenomena, and introduces Adolf Portman's ideas on the value of surface ap...
Mar 21, 2025•56 min•Ep. 82
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....
Mar 14, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 81
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 t...
Mar 07, 2025•39 min•Ep. 80
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 intelligenc...
Feb 28, 2025•59 min•Ep. 79
In this bonus episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz, we feature a talk by Sebastian Junger, a keynote speaker at the Arendt Center's fall 2024 conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Junger, author of Tribe, discusses the complexities of tribalism, its positive and negative facets, and its relevance to contemporary society. He emphasizes the need to understand and elevate positive tribalism to create unity. Addressing liberal responsibilities in combatting negative tribalism...
Feb 21, 2025•43 min•Ep. 78
In this episode, we close read the final parts of Hannah Arendt's essay "Truth and Politics" from her book Between Past and Future. Roger Berkowitz emphasizes the complex relationship between truth and politics in the context of Arendt's view that politics is inherently deceitful and power-driven, making it often adverse to truth. The episode explores historical and modern examples of this conflict, including mass manipulation of facts and propaganda, and Arendt's argument that politics needs to...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 77
We're back from winter break and back to our chapter readings of Hannah Arendt's seminal text, Between Past and Future. In this episode, we delve into Chapter 7, Truth and Politics. Roger Berkowitz discusses Arendt's arguments about how truth is often impotent in the political sphere, yet essential to maintaining a human world. We unpack the complex relationship between truth, politics, and opinion, focusing on how factual truths are frequently transformed into opinions, thus losing their power....
Feb 07, 2025•58 min•Ep. 76
This bonus episode features an in-depth conversation with Nick Romeo, a longtime New Yorker magazine contributor and author. Nick Romeo is the author of The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy, and he teaches at UC Berkeley's graduate school journalism. The discussion centers around Romeo's recent article, What Could Citizens' Assemblies Do for American Politics , which particularly focused on an assembly in Bend, Oregon, that tackled the issue of youth homelessness. The conversation delves...
Jan 31, 2025•44 min•Ep. 75
This week we're sharing a recording from our friends at the Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y, New York , a world-class destination for online courses on literature, the arts, history, and much more, brought to you by some of the greatest minds of our time. In his lecture from October 22nd, Roger Berkowitz discusses his recent book On Civil Disobedience published by the Library of America, and explores the concept through the works and ideas of Henry David Thoreau, Hannah Arendt, and Martin Luther...
Jan 24, 2025•50 min•Ep. 74
In this bonus episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz, we feature a talk from the Arendt Center's fall 2024 conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Uday Mehta discusses the contrasting concepts of tribalism and cosmopolitanism, exploring how they shape identity, governance, and interpersonal relationships. He emphasizes the rootedness and exclusivity of tribalism in contrast to the voluntary and interest-based nature of cosmopolitanism. Beginning at minute 28:51 in this episod...
Jan 17, 2025•52 min•Ep. 73
In this bonus episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz, we share a talk from the Arendt Center's fall 2024 conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism . Moderated by Roger Berkowitz, the conversation features Ayishat Akanbi, a fashion stylist and writer, and Thomas Chatterton Williams, an author and academic. The discussion delves into the notions of tribal identity, the impact of racial categorization, and the broader concept of cosmopolitanism. Akanbi and Williams share personal e...
Jan 10, 2025•56 min•Ep. 72
Part 2 of the conversation between Director of Academic Programs Jana Mader and Founder and Academic Director Roger Berkowitz, as they reflect on 2024 at the Hannah Arendt Center. In this bonus episode, they explore the evolving landscape of democracy, the rise of chaos and political violence in the US, and the potential of citizen assemblies to bridge partisan divides. ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside eng...
Jan 03, 2025•23 min•Ep. 71
In this bonus episode, Director of Academic Programs Jana Mader and Founder and Academic Director Roger Berkowitz take a moment time to reflect on 2024 at the Hannah Arendt Center. They discuss the impact of the Virtual Reading Group's intellectual, global community and discussions. They share take-aways from our October conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Finally, they introduce Jana Mader's forthcoming book, Walk Her Way New York City , which is available now for pre-order, and discus...
Dec 27, 2024•33 min•Ep. 70
In this episode, we discuss the second part of "The Crisis in Culture: Its Social and Political Significance" from Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, examining the social and political significance of culture and the role of judgment in a political community. 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...
Dec 20, 2024•48 min•Ep. 69
This week we're sharing an episode from our friends at The Bulletin - Christianity Today's roundtable podcast, which dives into current events and breaking news, and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. Roger Berkowitz was invited to speak with Mike Cosper the day after the 2024 US presidential election about the rise of Donald Trump, the failures of the elite, and the importance of understanding and addressing the roots of political movements in America. We hope ...
Dec 13, 2024•44 min•Ep. 68
In this bonus episode, Roger Berkowitz discusses the relevance of Hannah Arendt's ideas on gratitude and the importance of understanding diverse perspectives in the context of modern societal challenges. If you like this episode and our podcast in general, please leave us a comment on your favorite podcast platform! We appreciate your support! ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and though...
Dec 06, 2024•8 min•Ep. 67
