Why Do Philosophers and Educators Keep Coming back to Hannah Arendt?

Abstract

This essay s highlights what I believe Arendt can offer philosophers of education and educators in general. More Specifically, I argue that there are at least four distinct aspects of her political and philosophical writings that continue to attract philosophers and educators alike. First, is the fact that Arendt’s works feature some perceptive philosophical and political concepts like natality, action, plurality, and forgiveness, which have a wealth of implications for education. Second, Arendt’s affinity for conceptual distinctions (e.g., public vs. private, political vs. social, and action vs. work and labor) has provoked both admiration and resistance among those that study her writings. Third, philosophers, educators, and other scholars continue to grapple with some of Arendt’s most controversial notions such as “the banality of evil” and statements like that “Eichmann never realized what he was doing.” Finally, is the notion that Arendt was a unique and original thinker, one who does not fit neatly into any of our common ideological factions like conservative versus liberal or reactionary versus progressive. As such, Arendt’s ideas not only attract scholars from a broad range of political affinities but also those that see in her a thinker who sought to build ideological bridges and integrate seemingly opposing perspectives.