The hindrance of hope

In dark times, hope is no match for the action. For Hannah Arendt, hope is a dangerous barrier to courageous action. In dark times, the miracle that saves the world is to act. In this thought-provoking piece, Samantha Rose Hill, assistant director at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities, explores how her experiencing decades of war and persecution influenced the philosopher's rejection of hope and found her embracing natality instead. "Arendt is not hopeful that the elements of totalitarianism will fade from our world. She warns that totalitarian solutions will exist whenever it seems impossible to alleviate social, political and economic misery."