Arendt's Theory Of Political Judgment

Hannah Arendt was born in a time of turbulence,and all her thoughts were a response to this age.Specifically,she made a series of unique critical reflections on the emergence of a series of historical events in the twentieth century,such as the emergence of totalitarianism,the detonation of atomic bombs,and the ethnic conflicts.In these thoughts,the theory of "political judgment" can be said to be a clue that runs through her political philosophy.This is closely related to her life experience.Because of her Jewish identity and refugee experience,she initially focused on Jewish issues and totalitarianism,especially on the causes of totalitarianism and its components.Later,Arendt experienced the Eichmann trial.This experience inspired her to think about the"the banality of evil".Then Arendt paid attention to the problem of meaning.She creatively applied Kant's concept of "aesthetic judgment" to oppose historicism and in virtue of which can retain a place for human dignity.With the development of her thoughts,her interpretation of "political judgment" has also undergone certain changes.This article is dedicated to clarifying these changes and trying to make a brief analysis of their meaning.In addition to the introduction and conclusion,the article is divided into three parts.The first part is about the judgment of the actors in vita activa.The article mainly elaborates from the following aspects:(1)The separation of via activa and vita contemplativa.This part mainly analyzes Arendt's criticism of the political philosophy tradition and the emphasis on active life in modern society.(2)Actions in the public domain.Arendt made a trichotomy to replace the traditional dichotomy,and the corresponding field of activity was divided into three categories.(3)The phronesis and judgment.Arendt cited Aristotle's thought about "phronesis" and developed her theory of judgment from this concept.The second part is about the deficiency of judgment of the thoughtless man in totalitarianism.The article mainly cuts into the following aspects:(1)Eichmann as a thoughtless man.Eichmann,as an active participant,committed crimes,which allowed Arendt to re-observe and reflect on the question of "thoughtless".(2)Responsibility and judgment.Re-analyze personal judgment and related responsibilities under totalitarianism through Eichmann's trial and other post-war trials.(3)Thinking and judgment.In order to resist the horror of "thoughtless",Arendt believes that people should take personal responsibility and people should think actively.In this part,the author will clarify the relationship between thinking and its relationship with judgment.(4)Prejudice and judgment.Prejudice is an inevitable part of thinking.We should present and eliminate prejudice,and realize that prejudice and judgment actually have much in common.The Third Part is the judgment of the spectator in the life of the mind.The article mainly explores the following aspects:(1)Arendt interprets Kant's political thoughts.Arendt interprets the critical thinking in a political philosophy way and analyzes Kant's concept of "spectator".Arendt tries to present Kant's "unexplained political philosophy."(2)Arendt made a politieal philosophy's interpretation of Kant's Critique of Judgment.Through the analysis of the elements of spectators and actors,such as imagination and common sense in aesthetie activities,she found a new way of judging political events.Such way of judging can save human dignity in modem society.