PP454 Seminar: Contemporary Figures in Political Philosophy—Hannah Arendt & José Ortega Y Gasset Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 4:10:5:30
Office: 206 Scott Hall, (tel) 607-3178 and by appointment
Email: ssnowiss@pitzer.edu

This course examines key twentieth century philosophical issues by taking an in depth look at the works of Hannah Arendt and José Ortega Y Gasset. Both theorists argue that the "modem world" that emerged in 15 th century philosophy and science has ended in the 20" century. They stand as formidable critics of the ideas of modernity and reevaluate our understandings of knowledge, objectivity, reason, history, freedom, power and action. Yet, they both write from an experience and stand point based in the Western, modern tradition. It is almost as if they had one foot in th e past and another stepping toward the future—a world which they see dimly and partially. From that perspective they highlight and analyze concepts that have become the basis for r evolutionary change in an orientation to nature and philosophy and hence reality as we know it.

Their philosophies are grounded in the crucible of experience and reflection on actual events from the ri se of totalitarianism to the splitting of the atom. We will look at momentous events such as these in the context of their lives, their actions and their more reflective observations. The roots of environmentalism, feminist themes, multicultural perspectives, revolution, evil and judgment are all explored in their writings.

In addition to weekly seminar readings and discussions, students will be asked to write a midterm paper and a major research paper on an issue or topic of their choice

The required texts are as follows: (available at Huntley Bookstore and/or at I Honnold Library Reserve)

Hannah Arendt:
Rachel Varnhagen
Between Past and Future
On Revolution
Crises of the Republic
The Origins of Totalitarianism
The Life of the Mind
Eichmann in Jerusalem
The Human Condition

José Ortega Y Gasset:
Some Lessons in Metaphysics
The Revolt of the Masses
An Interpretation of Universal History
Historical Reason
What Is Philosophy?
History as a System
Man and People
The Origin of Philosophy
Meditations on Hunting
Man and Crisis
'the Dehumanization of Art

Rockwell Gray:
The Imperative of Modernity: An Intellectual Biography of Ortega Y Gasset

Elizabeth Young-Bruehl:
Hannah Arendt, For the Love of the World

READING ASSIGNMENTS

January 17 Introduction.

I. Personal Identity and Recognition of Evil in the World

January 24 E. Young-Bruehl, Hannah Arndt, For the Love of the World, Part I
Hannah Arendt, Rachel Varnhagen

January 31 Young-Bruehl, Part II
Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, Parts I & II

February 7 Young-Bruehl, Part III
Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism, Part III
Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem

February 14 Rockwell Gray, The Imperative of Modernity , An Intellectual Biography of José Ortega Y Gasset, Intro., chps. 1, 2, 3
José Ortega Y Gasset, Meditations on Quixote (xeroxed selections)
Revolt of the Masses
“In Search of Goethe from Within" in The Dehumanization of Art

II. Human Condition and Circumstance

February 21 R. Gray, chps. 4, 5
Ortega Y Gasset, Man & Crisis, Man and People

February 28 Ortega Y Gasset, Meditations on Hunting, Dehumanization of Art

March 7 Arendt, The Human Condition, Between Past and Future (selections) Preface, chps. 1, 2, 6, 8

SPRING BREAK

March 21 Midterm Examination Due.

III. Freedom and Politics

March 21 Young-Bruehl, Part IV, chp. 9 Arendt, On Revolution, Crises of the Republic “What is Freedom?” in Between Past and Future

March 28 R. Gray, chps. 6, 7 Ortega Y Gasset, Concord and Liberty (Xeroxed selection), Origin of Philosophy, History as a System

April 4 Ortega Y Gasset, An Interpretation of Universal History, Historical Reason

IV. Thought and Reality

April 11 R. Gray, chp. 8, Epilogue Ortega Y Gasset, What is Philosophy?, Some Lessons in Metaphysics, The Modern Theme (xeroxed selection)

April 18 Young-Bruehl, Part 4, chp. 10 Arendt, The Life of the Mind , Thinking

April 25 Arendt, The Life of the Mind , Willing, Between Past and Future , chps. 3, 5, 7
Draft Paper due.
Xeroxed copies to be distributed to members of class.

May 2 Presentation and discussion papers

May 9 Final draft of paper due in Politics and Policy Office by 5 p.m.

Additional works by Arendt and Ortega Y Gasser (a more complete bibliography can be found in their respective biographies)

Hannah Arendt,
Love in St. Augustine
Lectures on Kant's P olitical Philosophy
The Jew as Pariah (letters edited by R. Feldman)
Men in Dark Times
On Violence (with Karl Jaspers) Correspondence 1926-1969
Between friends, Correspondences of H. Arendt and Mary McCarthy, 1949­-1975
Essays in Understanding, 1930-1954 (uncollected and unpublished works)
Responsibility and Judgement
The Promise of Politics
Letters: H. Arendt & M. Heidegger , 1925-1975

See also the Hannah Arendt papers at the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/arendthtm/arendthom.html

José Ortega Y Gasset,
On Love
Velazquez Goya, The Dehumanization of Art and Other Essays
The Idea of Principle in Leibnitz and the Evolution of Deductive Theory
The Modern Theme
Meditations on Quixote
Concord and Liberty
Mission of the University
Invertebrate Spain
Psychological Investigations

Selected secondary sources:

Hannah Arendt:

Kateb, George, Hannah Arendt Politics Conscience, EvilBowen-Moore, Patricia, Hannah Arendt's Philosophy of Natality
Hill, Melvyn (ed.), Hannah Arendt: The Recovery of the Public World
Dossa, Shiraz , The Public Realm and the Public Self ; The Political Theory of H. Arendt
Benhabib, Seyla, The Reluctant Modernism of H. Arendt,
“ Judgement and Moral Foundations of Politics in Arendt's Thought," Political Theory , Vol. 16 No. 1, Feb.
1988.
Jacobitti, Suzame, “Hannah Arendt and the Will," Political Theory Vol. 16, No. l, Feb. 1988
Honig, B., “Arendt Identity and Difference," Political Theory, Vol. 16, No. 1, Feb. 1988, (ed.), Feminist Interpretations of H. Arendt
Dessa, Shiroz "H. Arendt on Eichmann: The Public, the Private and Evil," The Review of Politics , Vo. 46, No. 2, April 1984.
Hinchman, L. and Hinchman, S., “In Heidegger's Shadow: H. Arendt's P henomenological Humanism," The Review of Politics, Vol. 46, No 2, April 1984. (eds). H. Arendt, Critical Essays
Social Research, Vol. 44, No. 1, Spring 1977, issue on H. Arendt_
Canovan, Margaret, Hannah Arendt A Reinterpretation of Her Political Thought (1992)
Parckeh Blikhu, Hannah Arendt and the Search for a New Political Philosophy
Barnouw, Dagmar, Visible Spaces Hannah Arendt and the German-Jewish Experience Garner, Reuben, The Realm of Humanitas Responses to the Writings of Hannah Arendt Pitkin, Hannah, The Attack of the Blob
Villa Dana, Arendt and Heidegger, The Fate of the Political, Politics, Philosophy & Terror , Essays on the Thought of H. Arendt
Isaac, Jeffery, Arendt, Camus, and Modern Rebellion
Gohsegen, M., The Political Thought of H. Arendt
Nye, Andrea, Phdosonhia, the Thought of R. Luxemburg, S. Weil and H. Arendt
Kielmanseggm Mewes, Glasser-Schmidt,(eds.), H. Arendt and Leo Strauss
Disch, Lisa, H. Arendt and the Limits of Philosophy
Bernstein, R., H. Arendt and the Jewish Question
Ring, J, The Political Consequences of Thinking, Gender and Judaism in the Work of H. Arendt
Taminiaux, J., The Thracian Maid and the Professional Thinker Arendt and Heidegger May and Kohn (eds.), H. Arendt Twenty Years Later
Osiel, Mark, Mass Atrocity, Ordinary Evil and Hannah Arendt
Kristeva, Julia, Hannah Arendt
Aschheim, Steven, H. Arendt in Journalism
Courtine-Denamy, Three Women in Dark Times: Edith Stein, H. Arendt, Simone Weil
Dietz, Mary, Turning Questions: Feminism, Arendt, and Politics

José Ortega Y Gasset:

Silver, Philip, Ortega as Phenomenologist The Genesis of Mediations on Quixote
Ceplecha, Christian, The Historical Thought of José Ortega Y Gasset
Marias , Julian, J. Ortega Y Gasset: . Circumstance and Vocation
Mora Jose Ferrater , Ortega Y Gasset, An Outline of His Philosophy
Sanchez, Villasenor, Ortega Y Gasset, Existentialist: A Critical Study of His Thought
C onway , James, "Ortega's Vital Reason," Thought , Vol. 32, Winter 1957-58
Hoover, K.D., "The Political Thought of Ortega Y Gasset," Midwest Journal of
Political Science, May 1966, Vol. 10, No 2, p. 232-40.
Livingston, Leon, "Ortega Y Gasset's Philosophy of Art," Publications of the MLA,
Vol.. LXVII, (Sept 1952), 609-54.
Maldonado Denis, Manuel, "Ortega Y Gasset and the Theory of the Masses," Western Political Quarterly 14:676-90, Sept. 1961.
Holmes, Oliver, Human Reality and the Social World, Ortega's Philosophy of History
Symposium: Ortega Y Gasset Centennial , University of New Mexico
Dobson, Andrew, An Introduction to the Politics and Philosophy of José Ortega Y Gasset .