Human Action and the Concept of Plurality – A Joint Reading of the Capacity to Promise and Forgive in Light of Hannah Arendt

Abstract

The following investigation discusses human action and plurality from the perspective of Hannah Arendt, a prominent political philosopher of the twentieth century, connecting them with another layer of her thought in addressing the notions of promise and forgiveness. Distinguished from trabalho and work, action is intrinsically political, revealing the singularity of the agent within the public sphere. Plurality emerges as the conditio per quam of political life, an ontological principle that enables and constitutes the public realm. The agonistic space, where different doxai confront one another, serves as fertile ground for freedom and collective deliberation, standing in opposition to authoritarian models. The denial of plurality suppresses political autonomy and flirts with authoritarianism. Given the unpredictability and irreversibility of action, promise and forgiveness appear as crucial mechanisms. Forgiveness releases agents from the weight of past deeds, opening the possibility for new beginnings, while promise creates islands of stability within an uncertain future, fostering predictability and trust. The articulation of action with plurality, mediated by promise and forgiveness, proves essential for reflecting on politics in Arendt’s thought. Thus, without any pretension of exhausting the subject, but rather with the intention of contributing to the advancement of academic study and debate, this work seeks to bring to light key aspects of the Arendtian grammar.