Arendt in crisis: Political thought in between past and future

Abstract

For Hannah Arendt, a crisis occurs when we can no longer rely on the prejudices that ordinarily guide us through the world. Every crisis is, therefore, an occasion to reflect upon tradition. By eroding our shared background beliefe, however, the crisis also weakens our ability to communicate and cooperate with each other. The crisis thus confronts us with the question of what community is possible when we do not have anything in common. Arendt's own answer is found in the community of judgment. Insofar as reflective judgments involve soliciting the potential agreement of others, they confirm that some common ground remains despite the loss of shared prejudices. Indeed, only when we cannot take consensus for granted are we truly attentive to others. By focusing on the tenuous togetherness of crisis, Arendt's work shows us that groups supported by shared values, traditions, and purposes are not necessarily political in nature.