Description
One of the most influential philosophers and cultural theorists of the twentieth century, Theodor Adorno poses a considerable challenge to students. His works can often seem obscure and impenetrable, particularly for those with little knowledge of the philosophical traditions on which he draws. Adorno: A Guide for the Perplexed is an engaging and accessible account of his thought that does not patronise or short-change the reader. Those new to Adorno - and those who have struggled to make headway with his work - will find this an invaluable resource: clearly written, comprehensive and specifically focused on just what makes Adorno difficult to read and understand.
Table of Contents
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Against Authenticity
Weimar Years
In America
Adorno's Cultural Criticism
Return
Aftermath
2. Art and Culture
Adorno and Popular Music
The Aesthetics of Music
Modernism or avant-garde?
History and Truth-Content
The Culture Industry
Aesthetic theory and ideology-critique
3. Freedom and Society
Wrong Life: Adorno's Minima Moralia
Adorno and Kant
Freedom and Society
Dialectic of Enlightenment
The morality of thinking
Living with Guilt
4. Philosophy and History
Writing the Disaster
Crisis of Reason
Against Historicism
The task of philosophy
Adorno & Marxism
Conclusion
Notes
Further Reading
Bibliography
Index
Author(s)
Alex Thomson, Alex Thomson is a lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh.