5- Arendt (Public Spaces) Flashcards by Jeremy P

What two central developments cause the “dark times”? (a time when the ability for people to come together in public = restricted or removed)

1) Modernity and technology
2) totalitarianism

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How does Arendt define totalitarian rule?

“a form of gov who essence is terror and whose principle of action is the logicality of ideological thinking”

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What are harmful consequences of totalitarianism?

Imperialism & racism
Loss of state protection, creation of stateless people

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How did totalitarianism originate?

The flaws of the modern-nation state undermined the state itself and thus totalitarianism allowed to fill the vacuum in Europe (it is a new and unique for of government)

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Why is terror so successful?

it destroys political action, free thought, and individual responsibility, which in turn ends plurality and respect for humanity

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What is “pearl diving”?

taking valuable insights from the past–not to revive them, but to gain new meaning in the present, where they, hopefully, change something or set something in motion in the political world

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What is Arendt’s view on language?

Words have legacy and concepts have several meanings

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What aspects of the Greeks does Arendt want to return to?

Humans as collective political beings
Active human life
Importance of Human nature

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What is Arendt’s view on modern technology?

Science & statistics created wordless world
Technology = step away from humanity and common world
Sphere of politics = administration

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What is the “viva activa”?

translates to “human life” - the concern for human condition/active human life
made up of: labor, work, and action

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What is “natality”

birth
stopping and beginning something new (in regards to action itself)

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True/False: Action and Speech always go together

True

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Does Arendt prefer the initiative or the outcome of action?

The initiative

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How does Arendt describe public spaces?

Places that can be heard by everybody and has the widest possible publicity (constitutes reality)

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According to Arendt, what creates reality?

The presence of others

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According to Arendt, what is created by the space between people?

the world / reality

How does Arendt describe freedom (compared to the Greeks)?

non-sovereignty, able to participate in political dialogue and discussions

How does Arendt describe equality (compared to the Greeks)?

equality of un-equals

How does Arendt describe power?

It is shared and collective, and is not connected to the material
No force of domination

How does Arendt describe the public realm?

Bright and harsh

True or False: Arendt believes the public and private should come together

False, she wants a strict separation (like the greeks)

How does Arendt believe that modernity has changed things?

a “social” exists between the public and private realms
Freedom is now replaced by security and comfort
Equality = sameness and loneliness
- Media exacerbates this

How does Arendt believe humanity has degraded?

Human plurality = conformism
Behavior replaced action
Labor = highest valued activity
Consumption replaced excellence

How does Arendt view artists/artwork?

She views it a necessary to protect the actions of words of people (through stories/story telling), such as history

Who is Christina Beltran?

Democratic theorist, critiqued Arendt focusing on immigrants

What does Christina Beltran critique about Arendt?

Arendt has depoliticized labor - rethinking it to understand how undocumented immigrants claim political space and agency by going public. Political life can emerge outside the bounds of legal citizenship

How does Christina Beltran view labor, compared to Arendt?

Labor applies to immigrant workers and is the lowest activity b/c only connected to endless and circular activities to sustain human life labor guarantees material comfort and public freedom for the majority

How does Beltran view action, compared to Arendt?

Through Arendt's definition of action we can understand political nature of events to demand presence and equality, enact freedom, make new beginning Arendt’s idea of “heroic excellence” —> courage is a central element of action

How does Seyla Benhabib critique Arendt?

Believes Arendt is elitist, anti-modern, idealistic, anti-democratic Believes that some people need to suppressed and excluded for Arendt's model

How does Benhabib's view of public spaces differ from Arendt's?

Benhabib states that public spaces historically have relied on domination of some powerful groups & exclusion of others

Why does Benhabib prefer's Habermas's model?

It focuses on openness, better for democracy and feminism Therefore private issues can become public & emphasis on justice and procedure

Who is Michael Warner?

Professor of English Literature, focused on Publics and Counterpublics (Focus on Habermas and Arendt)

True or False: Publics are easily avoidable and perceptible

False

What are the steps for identifying a public?

1) Trace history of debates around the public spheres 2) Come up with classification and critique

What are some characteristics of public spaces? (Only need to know a few probably)

1) Self-organization 2) Relationality among strangers 3) Personal and impersonal speech 4) Constituted through attention 5) Circulation of discourse (temporality) 6) Historical specificity 7) Poetic world-making

Def - Counterpublic

Power relations and hierarchies between public spheres

True or False: Public spheres allow all bodies to be seen as equal

False - dominant public spheres privilege certain bodies and styles of speaking as normal