Overview

In The Experiential Ontology of Hannah Arendt, Kim Maslin examines Hannah Arendt’s political philosophy through a Heideggerian framework. Maslin argues that not only did Arendt grew beyond the role of naïve and beguiled student, but she became one of Heidegger’s most astute critics. Well acquainted with and deeply respectful of his contributions to existential philosophy, Arendt viewed Heidegger’s work as both profoundly insightful and extraordinarily myopic. Not contented to simply offer a critique of her mentor’s work, Arendt engaged in a lifelong struggle to come to terms with the collective implications of fundamental ontology. Maslin argues that Arendt shifted to political philosophy less to escape her own disappointment at Heidegger’s personal betrayal, but rather as an attempt to right the collective flaws of fundamental ontology. Her project offers a politically responsive, hence responsible, modification of Heidegger’s fundamental ontology. She suggests that Heidegger’s allegedly descriptive and non-normative insight into the nature of being is necessarily incomplete, and potentially irresponsible, unless it is undertaken in a manner which is mindful of the collective implications. As such, Maslin shows how Arendt attempts to construct an experiential ontology that transforms Heidegger’s fundamental ontology for use in the public sphere.

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9781793612441

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"""Even politicians deeply opposed to identity politics will often talk about who it is that ""we are"" as a country. In so doing, they reveal not only that ontology is political, but also that politics always has ontological roots. This basic insight guides Kim Maslin's rethinking of Arendt's relation to Heidegger, and their mutual relation to contemporary social existence. This book is excellent and the conclusions are persuasive even when surprising. It is a game changer in how we all should think ourselves, others, and politics as a philosophical task.""--J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University ""Kim Maslin's book glitters with philosophical and literary erudition. It provides readers with scholarly honed insight into the entirety of Hannah Arendt's thinking. As such, it represents a major contribution to applications of political theory in the study of history, particularly genocide. Maslin's analysis reveals the central themes and abiding concerns that initially shaped Arendt's analytical perspectives and eventually became transformed into her theoretical vision. Maslin brilliantly reinterprets Arendt's relationship with Heidegger and shows both Arendt's admiration but also the vitality of her critique of Heidegger.""--Edward Weisband, Virginia Tech ""Kim Maslin's book offers a bold and comprehensive reassessment of Arendt's work in relationship to Heidegger's. Itis lucid, daring, and timely, and will appeal to those interested in harnessing Arendt's work in order to understand contemporary events. This is a book of quality and importance.""--Martin Shuster, Goucher College ""Maslin helps resituate Hannah Arendt against her most enduring philosophical background by showing that Arendt was first and foremost a critical (post-)Heideggerian thinker. Arendt consistently took Heidegger's phenomenological insights as her own implicit points of departure, repeatedly criticizing and seeking to move beyond Heidegger in her own work. Building critically on her understanding of Heidegger in this way, Maslin contends, Arendt developed an innovative and coherent ontological approach of her own that remains relevant and challenging today.""--Iain Thomson, author of The Cambridge History of Philosophy, 1946-2015 (2019) ""Kimberly Maslin offers a fresh perspective on 'thinking Arendt through Heidegger.' She traces the sweep of Arendt's work from Totalitarianism to its prescient compatibility with current issues: including fake news, alternative facts, and ultimately identity politics and #MeToo. Maslin's argument gives life to Arendt's brilliance and relevance for our times, bridging the gap between philosophy and political action.""--Jennifer Ring, University of Nevada"

Kim Maslin's book offers a bold and comprehensive reassessment of Arendt's work in relationship to Heidegger's. The Experiental Ontology of Hannah Arendt is lucid, daring, and timely, and will appeal to those interested in harnessing Arendt's work in order to understand contemporary events. This is a book of quality and importance. --Martin Shuster, Goucher College Even politicians deeply opposed to identity politics will often talk about who it is that we are as a country. In so doing, they reveal not only that ontology is political, but also that politics always has ontological roots. This basic insight guides Kim Maslin's rethinking of Arendt's relation to Heidegger, and their mutual relation to contemporary social existence. This book is excellent and the conclusions are persuasive even when surprising. It is a game changer in how we all should think ourselves, others, and politics as a philosophical task. --J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University Maslin helps resituate Hannah Arendt against her most enduring philosophical background by showing that Arendt was first and foremost a critical (post-)Heideggerian thinker. Arendt consistently took Heidegger's phenomenological insights as her own implicit points of departure, repeatedly criticizing and seeking to move beyond Heidegger in her own work. Building critically on her understanding of Heidegger in this way, Maslin contends, Arendt developed an innovative and coherent ontological approach of her own that remains relevant and challenging today. --Iain Thomson, author of The Cambridge History of Philosophy, 1946-2015 (2019)

Kim Maslin's book offers a bold and comprehensive reassessment of Arendt's work in relationship to Heidegger's. The Experiental Ontology of Hannah Arendt is lucid, daring, and timely, and will appeal to those interested in harnessing Arendt's work in order to understand contemporary events. This is a book of quality and importance. --Martin Shuster, Goucher College Even politicians deeply opposed to identity politics will often talk about who it is that we are as a country. In so doing, they reveal not only that ontology is political, but also that politics always has ontological roots. This basic insight guides Kim Maslin's rethinking of Arendt's relation to Heidegger, and their mutual relation to contemporary social existence. This book is excellent and the conclusions are persuasive even when surprising. It is a game changer in how we all should think ourselves, others, and politics as a philosophical task. --J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University Maslin helps resituate Hannah Arendt against her most enduring philosophical background by showing that Arendt was first and foremost a critical (post-)Heideggerian thinker. Arendt consistently took Heidegger's phenomenological insights as her own implicit points of departure, repeatedly criticizing and seeking to move beyond Heidegger in her own work. Building critically on her understanding of Heidegger in this way, Maslin contends, Arendt developed an innovative and coherent ontological approach of her own that remains relevant and challenging today. --Iain Thomson, author of The Cambridge History of Philosophy, 1946-2015 (2019) Kimberly Maslin offers a fresh perspective on 'thinking Arendt through Heidegger.' The result is a carefully argued, compelling discourse on Arendt's project of grounding Heidegger's ontology in the lived experiences of real people. Maslin traces the sweep of Arendt's work from Totalitarianism to its prescient compatibility with current issues: including fake news, alternative facts, and ultimately identity politics and #MeToo. Maslin's argument gives life to Arendt's brilliance and relevance for our times, bridging the gap between philosophy and political action. --Jennifer Ring, University of Nevada

Kim Maslin's book offers a bold and comprehensive reassessment of Arendt's work in relationship to Heidegger's. The Experiental Ontology of Hannah Arendt is lucid, daring, and timely, and will appeal to those interested in harnessing Arendt's work in order to understand contemporary events. This is a book of quality and importance. --Martin Shuster, Goucher College Even politicians deeply opposed to identity politics will often talk about who it is that we are as a country. In so doing, they reveal not only that ontology is political, but also that politics always has ontological roots. This basic insight guides Kim Maslin's rethinking of Arendt's relation to Heidegger, and their mutual relation to contemporary social existence. This book is excellent and the conclusions are persuasive even when surprising. It is a game changer in how we all should think ourselves, others, and politics as a philosophical task. --J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University

Kim Maslin's book offers a bold and comprehensive reassessment of Arendt's work in relationship to Heidegger's. The Experiental Ontology of Hannah Arendt is lucid, daring, and timely, and will appeal to those interested in harnessing Arendt's work in order to understand contemporary events. This is a book of quality and importance. --Martin Shuster, Goucher College Even politicians deeply opposed to identity politics will often talk about who it is that we are as a country. In so doing, they reveal not only that ontology is political, but also that politics always has ontological roots. This basic insight guides Kim Maslin's rethinking of Arendt's relation to Heidegger, and their mutual relation to contemporary social existence. This book is excellent and the conclusions are persuasive even when surprising. It is a game changer in how we all should think ourselves, others, and politics as a philosophical task. --J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University Maslin helps resituate Hannah Arendt against her most enduring philosophical background by showing that Arendt was first and foremost a critical (post-)Heideggerian thinker. Arendt consistently took Heidegger's phenomenological insights as her own implicit points of departure, repeatedly criticizing and seeking to move beyond Heidegger in her own work. Building critically on her understanding of Heidegger in this way, Maslin contends, Arendt developed an innovative and coherent ontological approach of her own that remains relevant and challenging today. --Iain Thomson, author of The Cambridge History of Philosophy, 1946-2015 (2019) Kimberly Maslin offers a fresh perspective on 'thinking Arendt through Heidegger.' The result is a carefully argued, compelling discourse on Arendt's project of grounding Heidegger's ontology in the lived experiences of real people. Maslin traces the sweep of Arendt's work from Totalitarianism to its prescient compatibility with current issues: including fake news, alternative facts, and ultimately identity politics and #MeToo. Maslin's argument gives life to Arendt's brilliance and relevance for our times, bridging the gap between philosophy and political action. --Jennifer Ring, University of Nevada Kim Maslin's book glitters with philosophical and literary erudition. It provides readers with scholarly honed insight into the entirety of Hannah Arendt's thinking. As such, it represents a major contribution to applications of political theory in the study of history, particularly genocide. Maslin's analysis reveals the central themes and abiding concerns that initially shaped Arendt's analytical perspectives and eventually became transformed into her theoretical vision. Maslin brilliantly reinterprets Arendt's relationship with Heidegger and shows both Arendt's admiration but also the vitality of her critique of Heidegger. --Edward Weisband, Virginia Tech

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Kimberly Maslin is professor of politics at Hendrix College.

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