If you know the name Hannah Arendt, it’s probably because you know her most famous book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, but did you know she also wrote for the New Yorker Magazine in the 1960s? It’s true. A popular magazine in the United States used to regularly publish articles written by a philosopher! Not only that, they published an article by her in 1967 called Truth and Politics in which she elaborates upon different kinds of truths, explains why facts are the most vulnerable kind and tells us how to regain our sense of reality in a political context in which significant numbers of people no longer believe in factual truth. In this video instructor Barbara Howe of the University of South Florida introduces you to who Arendt was and the context in which she wrote that now famous article, which can still be found on the New Yorker’s website. If you read it and find yourself not understanding what she’s talking about, let Barb walk you through the key points of the first three sections. You’ll be able to then read the last two sections on your own and get her main point which is not to lose hope! Facts are resilient even in the face of political opposition
You can find more of Barbara Howe’s instructional videos on international relations and political science theories on her YouTube channel.