Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin

Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin: Freedom, Politics and Humanity

This book provides the first comprehensive account of the clash between two of the 20th century's most important thinkers and how their profound disagreements continue to offer important lessons for political theory and philosophy.
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) and Isaiah Berlin (1909–1997) were two of the most iconic thinkers of the 20th century, fundamentally divided on core issues of politics, history, and philosophy. Despite their overlapping lives and experiences as Jewish immigrant intellectuals, Berlin passionately disliked Arendt, saying she represented "everything I most detested," while Arendt responded to her hostility with indifference and skepticism. Written in a vivid style, full of drama, tragedy, and passion, Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin recounts for the first time the fraught relationship between these two remarkable figures and shows how their contrasting perspectives continue to offer important lessons for political thought today. Drawing on extensive new archival material, Kei Hiruta traces the clash between Arendt and Berlin, from their first meeting in wartime New York to their widening intellectual rift in the 1950s, the controversy over Arendt's 1963 publication of Eichmann in Jerusalem, their ultimately missed opportunity to engage with each other at their 1967 conference, and Berlin's continued hostility toward her after her death. Integrating political philosophy and intellectual history, Hiruta examines the key issues that both united and divided Arendt and Berlin, including the nature of totalitarianism, evil and the Holocaust, human agency and moral responsibility, Zionism, American democracy, British imperialism, and the Hungarian Revolution. Above all, however, Arendt and Berlin disagreed on a central question about the human condition: what does it mean to be free?
【Editor's Recommendation】
1. Why did Berlin harbor a "lifelong hatred" for Arendt, both Jewish and expatriates? Who hated whom, and why? There are many excellent details; Kei Hiruda documents the conflict between Berlin and Arendt in great detail.
2. Kei Hiruta's book aims to understand the clash between these two thinkers—professionally, personally, and politically—and to illuminate some of the differences in their respective approaches to political theory. The tone is thoughtful and calm; the writing is admirably lucid; Hiruta undoubtedly provides a fair and detailed chronology of the Arendt/Berlin encounter and the various manifestations of Berlin's hostility.
3. Kei Hiruda's book also examines the relationship between the countries chosen by Berlin and Arendt and their thinking, which is a very interesting perspective.
4. The book will be accompanied by a bookplate with the portrait of Hannah Arendt or Isaiah Berlin, one of the two will be given out randomly.
【Expert Recommendation】
Kei Hiruta offers a balanced and insightful portrait of two groundbreaking thinkers, both Jewish and opponents of totalitarianism, who should have admired each other but were instead divided by an animosity that exposed the fault lines between 20th-century German and Anglo-American philosophy, and between progressive and liberal traditions.
—Michael Ignatieff Canadian historian and author of "Berlin: A Biography" Kei Hiruda has achieved a remarkable feat in this monumental work, integrating intellectual history and political theory to reconstruct the encounter between Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin. While recounting the poignant interactions between these two protagonists, he also distills their overarching theoretical propositions on human nature, freedom, and totalitarianism. Its brilliant conception and prose make this a gifted work of interdisciplinary research.
- Samuel Moen, Professor of History at Yale University This is the first book devoted entirely to the details of the encounter between Arendt and Berlin. Balanced and insightful, it clarifies the historical mystery of Berlin's strong antipathy towards Arendt; it successfully navigates the treacherous shoals of the Eichmann controversy and explores Berlin and Arendt's views on imperialism and their respective adopted homelands.
—Sarah Benhabi, Eugene Meyer Professor of Political Science and Philosophy, Yale University. This important and beautifully written book centers on the personal and theoretical conflict between Arendt and Berlin, integrating historical context with issues in modern political theory. Its elegant style and language make it a must-read for anyone interested in Arendt, Berlin, or the intellectual context of the Cold War.
—Christian J. Emden, Professor of the History of Political Thought, College of Humanities, Rice University. A masterpiece that illuminates the thorny relationship between two iconic figures of modern political thought. With the precision of a master surgeon and the eloquence of a fine novelist, Kei Hiruta dissects the conflicting responses of two Jewish exiles and champions of freedom to their catastrophic times. He also meticulously explores the mutual resentment (Berlin) and indifference (Arendt) felt by the two protagonists. This captivating work mobilizes the methods of intellectual history and political theory to brilliant effect.
—Joan Cockman, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Holyoke College

2024-09-01

贵州人民出版社

Han and Tang Sunshine

480

9787221184443