Abstract

The power of imagination (Die Einbildungskraft), or in short imagination, has a unique and prior position in Arendt’s theory of judgment, which has been long overlooked. This first aim of this paper is to argue for the priority and necessity of imagination in Arendt’s theory of judgment by reconstructing her descriptions and arguments mainly from her interpretation of Kantian philosophy. The second aim is to shed light on the implications of the priority of imagination in respect of judgment. In the conclusion, I will point out some problems of Arendt’s theory of judgment with the resources provided in Kant’s philosophy.