Abstract
Main concern of this article is to grasp the interpretative matrix of Hannah Arendt’s doctorate, which, I claim, is the central organising net for her other writings. I call this matrix “cryptotheological defence of the secular world”. In order to show its functionality, I have to determine the character of Arendt’s discourse in relation to theology and philosophy on the basis of her doctoral thesis from 1929. The main attention will be focused on the figure of the neighbour as a singular and the concept of natality. I will show how the critique of theology, often very ironic, serves Arendt to contest the paradigm of the political theology.
Highlights
Main concern of this article is to grasp the interpretative matrix of Hannah Arendt’s doctorate, which, I claim, is the central organising net for her other writings
After having read numerous texts about Hannah Arendt’s doctoral thesis Der Liebesbegriff bei Augustin, I came to a conclusion that we need a new interpretation of it
I am not going to contest the facts and claim that there was no change, that the horrific time of totalitarian rulership, exile, and war did not put an imprint on Hannah Arendt
Summary
Arendt’s dissertation was “guided by the question of the meaning and importance of neighbourly love in particular” (Arendt 1996, p. 3). Arendt’s intention is to check to what extent Augustine’s argumentation sticks to the teachings of Christianity She estimated that Augustine had been “truly religious rather than determined by Neoplatonic. I would not, go so far as Richard Wolin did, who says: “In certain respects, the work stand out as an embarrassing testimonial to the delusions of assimilationism It was written at a point in Arendt’s life when she still entertained hopes of a university career amid the woefully conservative milieu of German academic mandarins” This is crucial, because it is hard to attack her stance as simple reversal, revaluation of values, etc Instead, she admitted that “such intentional detachment from all dogmatic elements may doom the interpretation of a religious author, but is relatively easy to justify in Augustine’s case” A “substitutional dilemma” (Moyn 2008, p. 77) could be avoided and not neglected
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
