The Archimedean point: Science and technology in the thought of Hannah Arendt, 1951–1963

Abstract

This essay examines Hannah Arendt’s treatment of science and technology in her work during the 1950s and early 1960s. As scientific research acquired prominence in the United States and Germany after the Second World War, its public meaning was shaped by geopolitics and fears about nuclear weapons and the uncontrollable nature of technological development. A detailed exploration of the development of Arendt’s thought in this context has not been undertaken before. This essay refines our understanding of Arendt’s relationship with familiar interlocutors such as Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger, and challenges readings that concentrate narrowly on her analysis of totalitarianism as a reference point for understanding her thought.