Visions of Judgment

Hannah Arendt’s conceptualization of judgment may only drive political theorists further from the phenomenon. Throughout her life, Arendt’s work on judgment was guided by Kant’s thought. Arendt’s reading of Kant’s work raises two difficulties to which contemporary political scientists should attend. First, Arendt’s reading of Kant is a systematic misreading of his texts. Second, Arendt’s misreading of Kant pushes her toward a misreading of the phenomenon of judgment. More important, Arendt’s misreading has led political theorists to assume a divide between the points of view of the actor and of the spectator, which cannot be reconciled given the resources of Arendt’s thought.