Hannah Arendt and classical antiquity: reflections on the uses of the conception of liberty in Aristóteles

Abstract

In this article, we intend to analyze Hannah Arendt ‘s reading filters on athenian democracy, more precisely on the conception of Aristotelian freedom in’ The Constitution of Athens’. The study presented here is part of an investigation of the uses of the classical past as discursive device useful for the reflection of contemporary issues. In the present case, we are concerned with understanding in which way Aristotle’s conception of freedom, appropriated by Hannah Arendt, helps the thinker to refine his reflections on the relation between politics, power and freedom, considering the political-cultural circumstances in which she is inserted. Thus, the research is justified by the need to deepen the discussion about the uses of the classical past in contemporary philosophy, since we perceive recurrent references from contemporary European philosophers, especially from French and German schools, to Greco-Roman literature. From this perspective, it is necessary, in the course of our reflections, to point out the relevance of aristotelian thought to Hannah Arendt as regards the construction of a view on the conception of freedom among the athenians, which allows us to investigate the political scene in the which she was inserted.