Lumen Christi Institute

Hannah Arendt and The Human Condition
2024-02-03 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Gavin House, 1220 E 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637
Open to current graduate students and faculty. Advanced undergraduates and others interested in participating should contact dstrobach@lumenchristi.org. This event is in-person only. All registrants will receive copies of the selected readings, which should be read in advance of the class. An optional wine and cheese reception will follow.
Hannah Arendt came to Chicago in the 1950’s and produced two remarkable works: The Human Condition (which began as her Walgreens lectures) and Between Past and Future (which she finished while she was at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought). This seminar-style master class will examine excerpts from these works in order to delineate Arendt’s treatment of the human condition, the relation between the history of political thought and the present day, and her work in light of Leo Strauss’ Natural Right and History.
Readings:
Hannah Arendt:

From Between Past and Future: “The Concept of History: Ancient and Modern”
From The Human Condition: § 31 and 32 (“The Traditional Substitution of Making for Acting” and “The Process Character of Action”).

Leo Strauss:

From Natural Right and History: “Introduction” and “I. Natural Right and the Historical Approach.”

Both the required and recommended readings will be distributed to participants via Dropbox. If you prefer, you can pick up a printout of the readings at Gavin House (1220 E. 58th Street) Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm once they are ready. Please email David Strobach at dstrobach@lumenchristi.org to let us know you are coming.
Schedule:
11:30-12:00 | Optional pre-event lunch
12:00-1:20 | Session 1
1:20-1:40 | Coffee break
1:40-3:00 | Session 2
3:00-3:30 | Reception
