Arendt, Jung and Humanism: an interdisciplinary approach to violence

Abstract

This article is a theoretical essay that reflects on the phenomenon of violence in the contemporary world, grounded on the perspective furnished by Hannah Arendt's political philosophy. Starting from her interpretation of Kant, we have connected Arendt's original theory on violence with its philosophical basis, Humanism. To the more philosophical and social understanding provided by Arendt, we have tried to add, through an interdisciplinary approach, the contributions given by Jung's depth psychology, discussing and underlining the relevance of his concepts of singular individual and unconscious and his critique of culture. The common origin of both theories leads to different yet complementary interpretations of the phenomenon of violence, and eventually to asserting the importance of recovering Humanism as a central idea in the way we understand violence and the contemporary world.