Dana Richard Villa

Every single one of the VSIs I’ve read has been excellent, and this one is no exception. They are not easy reads. Despite being very short, they take me a long time because I have to read every sentence twice or even three times. This is because each sentence is packed with meaning. I have long been wanting to read Hannah Arendt in order to shed light on our political world, but the task has been daunting. When I found out there was a VSI on her, I pounced. Arendt of course was personally show more impacted by the Nazis final solution, and arguably she spent the rest of her career wrestling with the implications of those events.

My mother was a community organizer, so I resonated with what Arendt says about humans being political agents. Freedom, the will, these are only truly expressed when we meet with others, argue, persuade and are persuaded about how to live our common life. She lays the groundwork for understanding what is wrong with our current political system. Really, she says the flaw has been there since the beginning. Even while she praises the American Revolution for making true democracy possible, she notes the basic flaw. While our constitution recognized federal and state government, it failed to acknowledge the key role of the polis- basically the town hall. This is truly the level at which people can meet, discuss, persuade, and make decisions.

This is just one of the many profound insights that Arendt explored and which this book makes clear. show less

A fascinating in depth look at her work by an expert who knows how to write.