Hannah Arendt has been one of empathy’s most formidable and influential critics among contemporary political theorists. In this article, I suggest that her argument against empathy is no argument at all. The line she draws between empathy and imagination is arbitrary, and imagination cannot – in and by itself – sustain the work of representative thinking, which Arendt assigns to it. With this critique of Arendt, and the introduction of an alternative view of empathy put forth by Karl Jaspers, Arendt’s mentor and friend, I hope to open the way for a reconsideration of the distrust with which empathy is met among many political theorists.
Visiting or house-swapping? Arendt and Jaspers on empathy, enlarged mentality and the space between
GATTA, GIUNIA VALERIA
2014
Abstract
Hannah Arendt has been one of empathy’s most formidable and influential critics among contemporary political theorists. In this article, I suggest that her argument against empathy is no argument at all. The line she draws between empathy and imagination is arbitrary, and imagination cannot – in and by itself – sustain the work of representative thinking, which Arendt assigns to it. With this critique of Arendt, and the introduction of an alternative view of empathy put forth by Karl Jaspers, Arendt’s mentor and friend, I hope to open the way for a reconsideration of the distrust with which empathy is met among many political theorists.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
PSC548501 - proofs.pdf
non disponibili
Tipologia:
Documento in Pre-print (Pre-print document)
Licenza:
NON PUBBLICO - Accesso privato/ristretto
Dimensione
1.62 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
1.62 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.