SPEECHLESSNESS AND LINGUISTIC RECIPROCITY IN ARENDT.

The article examines the concept of speechlessness and linguistic reciprocity through a critical engagement with Hannah Arendt’s political philosophy, focusing on how unreciprocated speech can sustain shared worlds of meaning even when one party cannot respond linguistically. Drawing on a personal c...

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Publicado en:Journal of Ethics & Social Philosophy Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 390 - 419
Autor principal: Ferguson, Magnus
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Journal of Ethics & Social Philosophy May2026
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        affil: University of Chicago
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        Arendt, Hannah, 1906-1975
        Asymmetry (Linguistics)
        Storytelling
        Two-way communication
        Philosophers
        Inclusion (Disability rights)
        Political philosophy
        Aphasic persons
        Young, Iris Marion, 1949-2006
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        subj:
          Arendt, Hannah, 1906-1975
          Asymmetry (Linguistics)
          Storytelling
          Two-way communication
          Philosophers
          Inclusion (Disability rights)
          Political philosophy
          Aphasic persons
          Young, Iris Marion, 1949-2006
      ab: The article examines the concept of speechlessness and linguistic reciprocity through a critical engagement with Hannah Arendt’s political philosophy, focusing on how unreciprocated speech can sustain shared worlds of meaning even when one party cannot respond linguistically. Drawing on a personal case of severe speech impairment due to illness, the author challenges Arendt’s apparent premise that mutual linguistic exchange is necessary for political belonging and human appearance, arguing instead that unreciprocated speech—such as storytelling offered without expectation of response—can affirm inclusion and care. The analysis incorporates Iris Marion Young’s notion of asymmetrical reciprocity, which reconceives communicative encounters as temporal gifts rather than exchanges requiring reciprocation, and highlights Aristotle’s view of storytelling as a formative practice for communal life. Ultimately, the article proposes that unreciprocated, caring speech can maintain linguistic worlds for nonspeaking persons, expanding ethical and political understandings of communication and belonging beyond reciprocal verbal exchange.
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    language: English
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