Between Pluralism and Plurality: A Comparative View of Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin
Key words: pluralism, plurality, action, thinking, citizenship
The following dissertation explores the conceptual intertwining between the notions of value pluralism in Isaiah Berlin and plurality in Hannah Arendt, that is to say, their distinctions, common grounds, and divergences. It also deals with the possible roots that made way to these concepts in a society set during late modernity, and with the importance of thoroughly settling them in the course of the tradition pertaining both to philosophy and to Western political thought. Furthermore, it approaches the difficulties that arise when trying to grasp the definition of both concepts, as well as their effects on widespread notions and methodologies carried out in political theory, history, and philosophy itself. This dissertation also inquires into their implications on current issues relating to collective action, the recognition of difference, the political discussion in multicultural societies, and the possibility of illuminating the needs that underlie global citizenship. Lastly, through this conceptual analysis, it intends to elucidate the proper human faculties involved in the political practice of freedom along with their inherently aesthetic character.