Arendt Against The Tradition : ‘ Power Over ’ and ‘ Power With ’
Billy Surr ( PhD in Philosophy , Keele University )
Abstract
Hannah Arendt ’ s conception of power represents a radical departure from the traditional view within political philosophy that holds that power can only be understood as the power expressed over someone else . In this traditional formulation , power appears as ‘ power over ’ others and is therefore synonymous with domination and violent coercion of other people . For Arendt , this view not only deeply misunderstands the reality of power itself but also misunderstands how power can be utilised . Instead , Arendt offers a formulation where power appears as something that is shared with others and is built collaboratively as opposed to being established through domination . On this view , power can only be understood as ‘ power with ’ other people . In this essay , I will outline both formulations of power , showing how Arendt ’ s formulation of power as ‘ power with ’ radically departs from the traditional understanding of power as ‘ power over ’, as well as highlighting how Arendt ’ s reconceptualisation of power relies on our capacity for language and communication .
Key words : Hannah Arendt , Power , Political Philosophy , Political Realism
b . surr @ keele . ac . uk