Natalidade e política no pensamento de Hannah Arendt

Abstract

This research proposes to investigate the meaning of the human condition of natality according to the thought of Hannah Arendt. From the perspective of the author, natality is a category of political meaning inherent to the human condition. Inspired by Augustine, she found in the condition of natality the reason why men have got the ability to start something spontaneously. The meaning given by Arendt to the word action, therefore, is rooted in birth. Political action is conceived as a new birth. One is born when acting together, in other words, the joint action is a kind of political birth. It was this experience that Arendt could realize in some revolutionary events, especially in the American Revolution. As regards the totalitarian movements of the twentieth century, Arendt recognized the tragic consequences of birth condition refusal and usurpation