Politics for Everybody: Reading Hannah Arendt in Uncertain Times

By Ned O'Gorman

Book Overview

In this age of nearly unprecedented partisan rancor, you'd be forgiven for thinking we could all do with a smaller daily dose of politics. In his provocative and sharp book, however, Ned O'Gorman argues just the opposite: Politics for Everybody contends that what we really need to do is engage more deeply with politics, rather than chuck the whole thing out the window. In calling for a purer, more humanistic relationship with politics--one that does justice to the virtues of open, honest exchange--O'Gorman draws on the work of Hannah Arendt (1906-75). As a German-born Jewish thinker who fled the Nazis for the United States, Arendt set out to defend politics from its many detractors along several key lines: the challenge of separating genuine politics from distorted forms; the difficulty of appreciating politics for what it is; the problems of truth and judgment in politics; and the role of persuasion in politics. O'Gorman's book offers an insightful introduction to Arendt's ideas for anyone who wants to think more carefully

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 022668315X
• ISBN13: 9780226683157
• Release Date: April 2020
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 8.9"