Elements of a Radical Democracy.Kierkegaardian Sources to Hannah Arendt’s Political Theory

This paper delves into the enduring influence of Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy on early 20th-century German thought, particularly into its political reading by Hannah Arendt. The investigation seeks to grasp the political potentials inherent in Kierkegaardian theological concepts, namely the construction of the single political subject in its engagement with the universal, and the deriving interplay between consensus and dissensus. Consequently, a Kierkegaardian political theology is outlined. The formal structure of the Kierkegaardian selfhood, as defined by its relationship with an unbounded entity, captivated the minds of various German philosophers in the first half of the 20th century (section 1). Arendt employs Kierkegaardian ideas to explore deeper the relationship between the political actor and the historical net of spontaneities (sections 2 and 3). Building upon this framework, the article examines how Arendt applies these ideas in her discussions of consensus and dissensus (section 4). Lastly, the article suggests how a Kierkegaardian political theology, as enriched through Arendtian insights, can actually strengthen the operation of a radical form of democracy in contemporary societies.