Spend some time gathering your thoughts, reviewing your notes, and, perhaps, revisiting some of the more striking passages in Crises of the Republic. Next, respond to the two items below. When appropriate and instructive to your claims, cite directly to Arendt’s work.
(1) Lying in Politics. What is it about politics as a category of human activity that makes it so susceptible to the practice of lying and deception on the part of public officials? What, in your view, are Hannah Arendt’s distinct contributions to this subject? What are Arendt’s conclusions about the overall effects of pervasive lying on citizens’ relationship with government and the political process?
(2) Civil Disobedience. Describe Arendt’s grasp on the concept, and practice, of civil disobedience. Recall that her view of civil disobedience varies from that of previous authors. Extend your discussion into Arendt’s treatment of the role of “voluntary associations” as influences on the course of law and policy in our democracy. What characteristics, perhaps failures, of national government — Congress and the judiciary, for example — seem to make these “voluntary associations” so important?
