 previous article in this issue | next article in this issue  |
|
Document Details : Title: Against Violence, but not at Any Price Subtitle: Hannah Arendt's Concept of Power Author(s): PEETERS, Remi Journal: Ethical Perspectives Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Date: 2008 Pages: 169-192 DOI: 10.2143/EP.15.2.2032366 Abstract : Hannah Arendt reproaches our tradition of political philosophy for reducing politics to domination, and for so concealing the central political phenomenon, i.e., power (section one). Since Arendt’s own concept of power is an extension of her concept of action, she understands power in a both non-hierarchical and non-instrumental way, as much distinct from domination as from violence. Furthermore, by stressing the essential relational and potential character of power, she shows the impossibility of human omnipotence (section two). Section three sketches Arendt’s analysis of violent action as an instrumental, mute and solitary activity, which can destroy, but never generate power, and which, therefore, can never be more than a poor substitute for acting together. However, the priority of power over violence is not absolute: sometimes power needs violence to maintain itself. Arendt seems to recognize this, but nowhere elaborates it (see the concluding remarks). |
|
