Foucault, Kant e a Parresia

The analysis of parrhesia conducted by Michel Foucault was, from the beginning, crossed by the question of determining how it manifests itself in contemporary times. The goal of this paper is to sustain that a text by H. Arendt, Reflections on Little Rock, fulfils all the requirements of parrhesia, since Arendt speaks in her own name, criticises a particular ethical situation and puts her reputation on the line. This is a particularly interesting example, because the text continues to be seen by the public at large as polemic, and as a target of condemnation by its first designated recipient, the afro-american community. The key question is to find out if the proof of parrhesia guarantees that the contents of such a virtuous gesture are indeed true and just.