War, oppression and unrest. In an age characterized by complex social issues, political turbulence and technological progress, Hannah Arendt's ideas seem more relevant than ever. Where does our sense of loneliness come from in this consumer society? What is freedom? And perhaps even more relevant, how do societies arise and decay? So, time for an introduction to one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century, by Prof. dr. Marli Huijer.
Hannah Arendt is best known for concepts such as the "banality of evil" as an explanation of the Holocaust but also for her search for the human condition and the roots of totalitarianism. When she developed her theories, fascism took over Germany and the Soviet Union became a totalitarian state under Stalin. What lessons for today can we draw from her work of that time?
Prof. dr. Marli Huijer is Emeritus Professor of Public Philosophy at the Erasmus School of Philosophy, Erasmus, chair of Stichting Maand van de Filosofie (Philosophy Month), columnist for daily newspaper Trouw and former “Denker des Vaderlands”. Huijer's research focuses on the philosophy of man and culture. She is particularly interested in the question of how people come to order. How do we organize time? How do techniques and devices organize public space?
