from Increase resolution on the concept of deliberation What led Hannah Arendt to emphasize deliberation?
- Against [totalitarianism
- Arendt was deeply concerned about the rise of totalitarianism, such as [[Nazi Germany]] and the [[Soviet Union]], and the resulting "[[loss of]] freedom. Under totalitarian regimes, individual freedom of thought and speech is suppressed and individuals are deprived of public participation. Arendt believed that human "action" and "speech" would be lost in such a society, and conversely, he idealized free and spontaneous political participation through dialogue and deliberation in the public sphere.
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Interest in [Greek polis
- Arendt had a strong interest in the ancient Greek polis, where active citizen participation and public debate were at the core of politics. In this model of the polis, she believed that the free action and speech of citizens built a public world. For Arendt, politics is not just a system of governance, but a “place” where free people live together, and deliberation and dialogue form that place.
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Emphasis on “action” and “freedom”
- Arendt divided the essential activities of human existence into three categories: labor, work, and action (action). Among these, Arendt placed “action” in particular as the free activity of participating in the world with others and disclosing oneself. The place of this “action” is the political arena, where dialogue and discussion are an important part of deliberation.
- Labor, Work and Activity
- > activity is speech and action between people, an active force that absolutely needs others, a response to the fact that humans are plural.
- Arendt divided the essential activities of human existence into three categories: labor, work, and action (action). Among these, Arendt placed “action” in particular as the free activity of participating in the world with others and disclosing oneself. The place of this “action” is the political arena, where dialogue and discussion are an important part of deliberation.
- Labor, Work and Activity
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Value of public sphere and [diversity
- Arendt stressed the importance of diverse opinions and viewpoints in the public sphere. She believed that it is when people discuss different positions and opinions together that true “reality” in politics is created. Therefore, she emphasized deliberation as not just a means of consensus building, but as a creative process in which people bring their different viewpoints together to form a new world.
Against this background, Arendt strongly emphasized the value of free political participation and deliberation in the public sphere, which she considered essential for maintaining human dignity and political vitality. Her emphasis on deliberation is a practice of freedom as a counter to oppression and totalitarianism, and is based on a belief in the active conduct of people and the expression of diversity in the public sphere.
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