Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin - by Kei Hiruta

About the Book

"This book is an exercise in theoretical conversation. Two of the most iconic thinkers of the twentieth century, Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) and Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) fundamentally disagreed on central issues in politics, history and philosophy. In spite of their overlapping life-stories and experiences as Jewish âemigrâe intellectuals, they held mutual dislike for each other, Berlin going so far as to characterise Arendt as representing 'everything that I detest most'. Drawing on a wealth of new archival material, Kei Hiruta traces the development of the Arendt-Berlin conflict, from their first meeting in wartime New York and the second meeting soon after the establishment of the State of Israel, to their widening intellectual chasm during the 1950s, the Eichmann controversy, their final missed opportunity to engage with each other at a 1967 conference, and Berlin's continuing animosity towards Arendt after her untimely death in 1975. Hiruta juxtaposes political philosophy with intellectual history to examine key issues that simultaneously connected and divided Arendt and Berlin, including the meaning and value of freedom, the nature of totalitarianism and its patterns of emergence, evil and the Nazi Holocaust, human agency and moral responsibility, Zionism, American democracy, Britain's imperial past and its post-war liberal present, and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Written in a lively and accessible style, Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin tells, for the first time, the full story of the adversarial relationship between Arendt and Berlin, and draws important lessons for political theory and philosophy today"--

Book Synopsis

For the first time, the full story of the conflict between two of the twentieth century's most important thinkers--and the lessons their disagreements continue to offer

Two of the most iconic thinkers of the twentieth century, Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) and Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) fundamentally disagreed on central issues in politics, history and philosophy. In spite of their overlapping lives and experiences as Jewish émigré intellectuals, Berlin disliked Arendt intensely, saying that she represented "everything that I detest most," while Arendt met Berlin's hostility with indifference and suspicion. Written in a lively style, and filled with drama, tragedy and passion, Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin tells, for the first time, the full story of the fraught relationship between these towering figures, and shows how their profoundly different views continue to offer important lessons for political thought today.

Drawing on a wealth of new archival material, Kei Hiruta traces the Arendt-Berlin conflict, from their first meeting in wartime New York through their widening intellectual chasm during the 1950s, the controversy over Arendt's 1963 book Eichmann in Jerusalem, their final missed opportunity to engage with each other at a 1967 conference and Berlin's continuing animosity toward Arendt after her death. Hiruta blends political philosophy and intellectual history to examine key issues that simultaneously connected and divided Arendt and Berlin, including the nature of totalitarianism, evil and the Holocaust, human agency and moral responsibility, Zionism, American democracy, British imperialism and the Hungarian Revolution. But, most of all, Arendt and Berlin disagreed over a question that goes to the heart of the human condition: what does it mean to be free?

Review Quotes

"Richly rewarding, highly readable and [an] important intervention in contemporary political philosophy."---Laurie Naranch, Journal of Social and Political Philosophy

"[An] even-handed study. . . .The book sheds a great deal of light on the protagonists and on essential historical and political issues so significant for our time."-- "Paradigm Explorer"

"Contextualized, dialogical, and even-handed."---Richard Shorten, The Review of Politics

"Historically careful and theoretically rich."---Shmuel Lederman, German Studies Review

"[A] path-breaking study. . . . The hitherto unexplored relationship between these two giants is fascinating not just for its simmering acrimony but because, as a pair, they are as much alike as they are antipodes."---Norman Lebrecht, Wall Street Journal

"An impeccably researched work, providing lucid explanation of the political thought of both Arendt and Berlin, and successfully brings the arguments of both (and their flaws) into sharp relief."---Caroline Ashcroft, Perspectives on Politics

"One of Bloomberg's Best Nonfiction Books of 2021"

"Shortlisted for the ECPR Political Theory Prize, European Consortium for Political Research"

"Shortlisted for the Gladstone Book Prize, Royal Historical Society"

"The tone of the book is thoughtful and equable; the writing is admirably clear; and Hiruta certainly provides a fair and detailed chronology of the Arendt/Berlin encounters and of Berlin's various expressions of hostility."---Jeremy Waldron, Society

About the Author

Kei Hiruta is lecturer in philosophy at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.