Abstract:
This study aims to think about the relation between the role of labor and political action in the foundation of modern States and its repercurssion in contemporary neoliberal societies. Based on Hannah Arendt’s notion of political freedom and her criticism of the negative feature of freedom in the Welfare State, I identify the limits and still current contributions of her thought. Subsequently, according to contemporary references on political and social thought, I set out to investigate the conditions of political action in the context of advanced capitalism, in which the loss of freedom – which Hannah Arendt considered “negative” – gradually reduces or even prevents citizens’ political action, keeping them first and foremost connected to biological survival activities and interests, as wells as unable of ethical commitments with the common good.
Keywords:
Political Action; Labour, Freedom; Cinicism