The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

chevron_right

Hannah Arendt and the Crisis of Truth | Interview: Roger Berkowitz

whatshot 52 snips

Apr 1, 2026

Guest

Roger Berkowitz

Roger Berkowitz, founder of the Hannah Arendt Center and Bard professor, guides a fresh look at Arendt’s life and ideas. They explore origins of totalitarianism, the banality of evil, Arendt’s ties to Heidegger, politics as shared world-building, education’s role, and whether she fits liberal or republican labels. Short, sharp conversations probe why Arendt matters today.

01:26:37

forum

Ask episode

web_stories

AI Snips

view_agenda

Chapters

menu_book

Books

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

insights

INSIGHT

Human Condition Over Human Nature

Arendt preferred 'human condition' over fixed 'human nature,' arguing people change with their worldly conditions rather than immutable biology.
Berkowitz explains her thought experiment: generations born in a spaceship would become different people because their world conditions change them.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

The Complicated Friendship With Heidegger

Arendt had an early affair with Martin Heidegger, later distanced herself after his Nazi affiliation, but reconciled enough postwar to help reintroduce his work.
Berkowitz recounts their Marburg affair, Heidegger's Nazi rector role, Arendt's exile, and their 1950 reunion in Freiburg's woods.

insights

INSIGHT

Heidegger's Influence Turned Political

Arendt absorbed phenomenology from Heidegger but inverted it into a political project: existence and action in the world trump abstract essences.
Berkowitz notes she dedicates the Human Condition implicitly to Heidegger while rejecting his political choices.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Arendt's Biography and Early Life

00:58 • 1min

chevron_right

Origins of Totalitarianism Explained

02:20 • 4min

chevron_right

How to Label Arendt: Thinker or Journalist?

06:42 • 1min

chevron_right

Arendt as a Political and Plural Thinker

08:00 • 4min

chevron_right

Politics as Conversation and Aristotle

11:50 • 2min

chevron_right

Creating an Earthly Transcendence

13:34 • 5min

chevron_right

Human Condition vs. Human Nature

19:00 • 10min

chevron_right

Children as Newcomers and Education

Heidegger: Affair, Politics, and Reconnection

33:38 • 11min

chevron_right

Heidegger's Influence on Arendt

44:21 • 3min

chevron_right

Eichmann Trial: Why Arendt Went to Jerusalem

47:50 • 4min

chevron_right

Banality of Evil and Thoughtlessness

51:30 • 6min

chevron_right

Political Judgment, Punishment, and Reconciliation

57:26 • 6min

chevron_right

Controversy: Jewish Leaders and Collaboration

01:03:30 • 6min

chevron_right

Arendt on Human Rights and Resistance

01:09:01 • 3min

chevron_right

Was Arendt Sometimes Wrong?

01:12:10 • 4min

chevron_right

Why Arendt's Revival Today

01:15:56 • 5min

chevron_right

Is Arendt a Liberal or Republican?

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

The gift of science

Leibniz and the Modern Legal Tradition

Roger Berkowitz

#75819

The Crisis in Education

Hannah Arendt

In this book, Arendt reflects on the nature of education in the modern world, discussing themes of authority, tradition, and the role of the school in society. It emphasizes the importance of preparing children for a world that is both old and new. It also touches on the challenges of balancing the need for stability and the need for change. It is a concise and insightful exploration of education.

#81705

A World We Share

Hannah Arendt and the Power of Friendship in a Broken World

Roger Berkowitz

#5030

• Mentioned in 10 episodes

Our Revolution

A Future to Believe In

Bernie Sanders

In *Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In*, Bernie Sanders shares his personal experiences from the 2016 presidential campaign trail, recounting the details of his historic primary fight and the people who made it possible. The book outlines a progressive economic, environmental, racial, and social justice agenda aimed at creating jobs, raising wages, protecting the environment, and providing health care for all. Sanders emphasizes that the political revolution has just started and that the struggle to transform the country and the world continues.

#653

• Mentioned in 51 episodes

Eichmann in Jerusalem

A Report on the Banality of Evil

Hannah Arendt

#1448

• Mentioned in 29 episodes

The Human Condition

Hannah Arendt

In 'The Human Condition,' Hannah Arendt provides a comprehensive account of how human activities have been understood throughout Western history. She contrasts the 'vita activa' (active life) with the 'vita contemplativa' (contemplative life) and identifies three primary human activities: labor, work, and action. Arendt discusses how these activities have evolved and been affected by changes in Western history, emphasizing the importance of action in disclosing human identity and creating a 'space of appearances' through speech and deeds. The book addresses issues such as diminishing human agency, political freedom, and the paradox of increased human powers without corresponding control over their consequences.

#454

• Mentioned in 66 episodes

Suicide of the west

How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy

Jonah Goldberg

In 'Suicide of the West,' Jonah Goldberg argues that the principles of liberal democracy and capitalism, which he terms 'the Miracle,' are under threat from various forms of illiberalism. He contends that the West's prosperity and political stability are not inevitable but rather the result of unique historical and philosophical developments. Goldberg warns that complacency and the erosion of these principles due to partisanship, polarization, and identity politics could lead to democratic decline. He emphasizes the importance of gratitude for the achievements of Western civilization and the need to rediscover and uphold its founding ideals to prevent its downfall.

#409

• Mentioned in 71 episodes

The Origins of Totalitarianism

Hannah Arendt

In this seminal work, Hannah Arendt explores the historical and philosophical roots of totalitarianism. The book is structured into three essays: 'Antisemitism', 'Imperialism', and 'Totalitarianism'. Arendt examines the rise of anti-Semitism in 19th-century Europe, the role of European colonial imperialism, and the emergence of totalitarian movements in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. She argues that totalitarianism is a novel form of government that differs from other forms of political oppression by its use of terror to subjugate mass populations and its aim for global domination. The book also delves into the mechanics of totalitarian movements, including the transformation of classes into masses, the role of propaganda, and the use of terror to maintain control.

Who was Hannah Arendt? What did she believe about truth and politics? Was she wrong about the American Revolution? Today on The Remnant, Jonah Goldberg and Roger Berkowitz dive into these questions and more, discussing what intellectual category Arendt falls in, her understanding of truth, the question of human nature, Arendt’s relationship with Martin Heidegger, the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, Adolf Eichmann, the meaning of the banality of evil, Arendt’s view of the American Revolution, and whether or not she was a small-“L” liberal.

Show Notes:
—Berkowitz’s website
—Arendt: The Origins of Totalitarianism
—Arendt: Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
—Harvey Mansfield Remnant
—Arendt: The Human Condition
—Jonah’s book, Suicide of the West
—Arendt: “The Crisis of Education”
—Arendt: “On Revolution”
—Berkowitz: “Was Arendt Wrong?”

The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Home Top podcasts Popular guests Top books