Hannah Arendt, Losurdo and the Question of Totalitarianism: Some Approximations

Abstract

This article is an attempt to compare the most influential book on so-called totalitarianism, by Hannah Arendt, and the critical formulations elaborated by Domenico Losurdo. The most general hypothesis it advances is that Losurdo, although effective in criticizing the identity of Nazism and Stalinism, maintains himself, despite his numerous contributions, on a descriptive plane, failing to question the theoretical and metaphysical foundations of his juxtaposition to Hannah Arendt. This tendency prevents a more profound critique of the concept of totalitarianism and the presentation of an alternative explanation of Stalinism.