Review of: Barbara Holland-Cunz: Gefährdete Freiheit. Über Hannah Arendt und Simone de Beauvoir. Opladen u.a.: Verlag Barbara Budrich 2012.

Abstract

Barbara Holland-Cunz, who has already addressed Simone de Beauvoir and Hannah Arendt individually, dedicates this volume to both of these prominent thinkers of the 20th century. Using an almost synoptic approach, she focuses on the topic of freedom, which is of eminent importance for both of their theoretical structures. According to Holland-Cunz, both of them, despite some differences, understand freedom as signalized by a danger, which is inscribed within the very concept of freedom: this danger results from a heroic-emphatic gestus, which is paradoxically paired with serene realism. The way that Holland-Cunz pursues in order to reach her interpretation is very inspiring and convincing to read, particularly because of her often pleasantly unconventional and witty approach.