Reimagining Politics, Policy, and Power: How Hannah Arendt’s interpretation of Augustinian caritas challenges zero-sum approaches to rights, placelessness, and human dignity in an evolving landscape

This project suggests that Hannah Arendt’s definition of Augustinian caritas, as developed in her dissertation, Love and St. Augustine, challenges zero-sum approaches to rights, placelessness, and human dignity in a contemporary and evolving landscape. Much has been said about applying well-known Arendtian concepts to contemporary situations. There is also an existing and emerging body of literature that discusses and identifies concepts such as natality, plurality, and the iterations of caritas defined within her dissertation. Work is also being done to illustrate how these concepts influence her later writings. This project will specifically address the less-researched topic regarding how the caritas of her dissertation can contribute to real-world situations, conversations, and circumstances. This project argues that the definition of caritas developed in her dissertation not only informs her later works but can also capably contribute to thoughtful individual judgments and community decision-making processes in the real world. Evaluating Arendtian concepts such as plurality, individuality, thinking, political power, and belonging through this lens changes how the neighbor is understood, acknowledged, and recognized in tangible ways. Productively contributing to conversations about belonging, community, and placelessness, a caritas-informed approach speaks to the individual and the neighbor’s “right to have rights” in the real world. The project will begin by discussing the development of caritas in her dissertation, focusing on how it establishes the relevance of the neighbor; it will then move to a discussion about the necessary withdrawal from the world in caritas (and the subsequent required return), which will later be compared to the withdrawal necessary for thinking and subsequent re-entry to public space in order to act in concert with others. It will then address the importance of stories, memory, narratives, and new beginnings through the conditions of natality, plurality, and freedom through a caritas-informed lens. Lastly, it will consider thinking, judgment, and meaningful action from this evaluative vantage point and conclude with a discussion about its potential impact on political realities.