Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz

Vita Activa | The Human Condition

Podcast host Roger Berkowitz introduces Arendt’s first chapters of The Human Condition as an inquiry into modern alienation shaped by science and Cartesian inwardness and

Solidarity and the Immigration Debate with David Lapp, Jim Robb, and Diego Sanchez | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz previews the 2026 Arendt Forum at Bard College on Solidarity, framing Arendt’s view of solidarity as an intelle

Prologue | The Human Condition

We're onto our new read, Hannah Arendt’s The Human Condition (1958). Host Roger Berkowitz calls the book a meditation on “thinking what we are doing” as modern science tr

Identity, Embodiment, and Politics with Nikita Nelin '09 | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode, host Roger Berkowitz speaks with writer and somatic coach Nikita Nelin '09 about identity, embodiment, and politics. Nelin describes his grandfathe

Hannah Arendt's Unwritten Chapter on Judging with Samantha Fazekas | Bonus Episode

Roger Berkowitz speaks with Samantha Fazekas about her book Hannah Arendt’s Unwritten Chapter on Judging (De Gruyter Brill, 2025). Fazekas argues that judging became cent

Home to Roost | Responsibility and Judgment

Host Roger Berkowitz closes our discussion of Hannah Arendt’s Responsibility and Judgment with her final public speech, “Home to Roost” (1975), presented as Arendt’s last

The Deputy & Auschwitz on Trial | Responsibility and Judgment

Focusing on two essays from Responsibility and Judgment—Arendt’s 1964 review of Rolf Hochhuth’s play The Deputy and her 1966 introduction to Bernd Naumann’s Auschwitz on

Reflections on Little Rock | Responsibility and Judgment

There's a shift in Hannah Arendt's Responsibility and Judgment from essays on moral and political responsibility to shorter essays of judgment about particular events, be

Collective Responsibility & Thinking and Moral Consideration | Responsibility and Judgment

In this episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz discusses two essays from our summer read, Responsibility and Judgment: “Thinking and Moral Considerations” and “Coll

A July Reflection on America and Arendt | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of the podcast, recorded on July 5 from Marlborough, Massachusetts, host Roger Berkowitz reflects on Fourth of July patriotism, baseball, and a Laph

Some Questions of Moral Philosophy, Sections 3 + 4 | Responsibility and Judgment

In this episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz discusses the final sections of Hannah Arendt’s essay “Some Questions of Moral Philosophy,” focusing on Arendt’s post

Some Questions of Moral Philosophy, Sections 1 + 2 | Responsibility and Judgment

In this episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz introduces Arendt’s essay “Some Questions of Moral Philosophy,” compiled by Jerome Kohn from 1965–66 courses after Ei

Personal Responsibility Under Dictatorship | Responsibility and Judgment

In this episode, host Roger Berkowitz walks us through the Prologue and first essay of our summer read, Responsibility and Judgment, a posthumous collection edited by Jer

AI and the Legacy of Hannah Arendt | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz reflects on two recent gatherings and their relevance to Hannah Arendt’s concerns about truth, technology, and

Hannah Arendt: An American Hero with Shumaila Hemani and Shilpa Kamat | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz previews the Arendt Center’s collaboration with the International Human Rights Art Movement, including a June 5

What Are We Fighting For? | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz shares about his recent talks in Athens at the House of Beautiful Business conference, and about the Bard Colle

America's Constitutional Crossroads with Peter Rosenblum | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of the podcast, host Roger Berkowitz welcomes Peter Rosenblum,  a professor of international law and human rights at Bard College, to discuss their

The Spirit of Philadelphia with Chris Gibson | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode, host Roger Berkowitz interviews Chris Gibson, former U.S. Army colonel, Purple Heart recipient, ex–three-term congressman, former Williams College

The World in Pieces with Walter Russell Mead | Live Bonus Episode

Recorded live at Bard College, this bonus episode features Roger Berkowitz in conversation with Walter Russell Mead, the Alexander Hamilton Professor of Strategy and Stat

The Emergency with George Packer | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode, Roger Berkowitz welcomes George Packer—National Book Award–winning author of The Unwinding, staff writer for The Atlantic and contributor to The Ne