Undialectical conclusions : Adorno, his Habermasian critics, non-identity and the culture industry
My thesis is a critique of Adorno's method that stays true to the dialectical spirit of his philosophy precisely by calling it in question. It opens, in Part I, with an account of Habermasian objections to negative dialectics. Habermas is concerned that Adorno's assault on rationality is so allembracing that it undermines the very standards it requires rationally to legitimate its critique. Adorno consciously embraces this self-undermining position. But Habermas believes its aporias, however self-conscious, to be misguided because a less paradoxical standard was close to hand. Language itself could have supplied negative dialectics with the norms it needed to criticize the abuses of instrumental reason. If Adorno is not logically forced to adopt an aporetic position, the question arises why a philosopher so gifted should manoeuvre himself into a theoretical dead-end. Habermas's answer to this, in the essay on Dialektik der AufklĂ€rung included in Der philosophische Diskurs der Moderne, is that Adorno illicitly privileges one of the three distinct logics of modernity, inappropriately judging cognitive and moral discourses by aesthetic criteria. When compared to the subject's awe-struck contemplation of a work
Morgan, Ben
Methodology
Undialectical conclusions : Adorno, his Habermasian critics, non-identity and the culture industry. My thesis is a critique of Adorno's method that stays true to the dialectical spirit of his philosophy precisely by calling it in question. It opens, in Part I, with an account of Habermasian objections to negative dialectics. Habermas is concerned that Adorno's assault on rationality is so allembracing that it undermines the very standards it requires rationally to legitimate its critique. Adorno consciously embraces this self-undermining position. But Habermas believes its aporias, however self-conscious, to be misguided because a less paradoxical standard was close to hand. Language itself could have supplied negative dialectics with the norms it needed to criticize the abuses of instrumental reason. If Adorno is not logically forced to adopt an aporetic position, the question arises why a philosopher so gifted should manoeuvre himself into a theoretical dead-end. Habermas's answer to this, in the essay on Dialektik der AufklĂ€rung included in Der philosophische Diskurs der Moderne, is that Adorno illicitly privileges one of the three distinct logics of modernity, inappropriately judging cognitive and moral discourses by aesthetic criteria. When compared to the subject's awe-struck contemplation of a work
conclusion adorno critic non identity culture industry critique adorno method stay true dialectical spirit philosophy precisely call_question open part account objection negative dialectic habermas concern adorno assault rationality undermines standard require rationally legitimate critique adorno consciously embrace self undermining position habermas believe aporias however self_conscious misguide less paradoxical standard close hand language could supply negative dialectic norm need criticize abuse instrumental_reason adorno logically force adopt position question_arise philosopher gift manoeuvre theoretical dead end habermas answer essay der included der der adorno privilege distinct logic modernity judge cognitive moral discourse aesthetic criterion compare subject contemplation work