Natality

Definition

Natality is Hannah Arendt's term for the human capacity to begin something new, rooted in the fact of birth. Arendt contrasts natality with mortality (Heidegger's central category), arguing that natality, not mortality, is "the central category of political, as distinguished from metaphysical, thought." Each birth brings into the world a unique being capable of initiating unprecedented action. "With the creation of man, the principle of beginning came into the world." Natality is the ontological ground of hope and the possibility of political freedom.

Key Thinkers

• arendt-hannah — developed the concept in The Human Condition (1958); positioned natality against Heidegger's emphasis on mortality
• heidegger-martin — emphasized mortality (being-toward-death) as the central existential; Arendt's concept is a deliberate counterpoint

Related Concepts

• vita-activa — natality is actualized through action, one of the three activities of the vita activa
• plurality — natality brings unique beings into a world of equals
• (Action, mortality, beginning, hope, freedom are mentioned in the source but not yet separate pages — see log.md.)

Source Support

Sources in the wiki that discuss natality:

• arendt-1958-the-human-condition — "Natality, and not mortality, may be the central category of political, as distinguished from metaphysical, thought." (p. 9)

Open Questions

• How does natality relate to architectural creation? Can buildings embody natality?
• What is the relationship between natality and creativity/innovation in art and design?
• Does natality require a theory of the subject, or can it be understood post-subjectively?