In this episode we talk about Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment, focusing on their notion of reason as abstractive domination and their understanding of the culture industry as a means of producing mass complicity with the machinations of capital. The good news is that we've got a much better sense of humor than either of them, so it's not as miserable as all that might sound. The bad news is we're not sure if they're wrong to be so pessimistic. We also drag a fair bit of popular culture, admit we still love it, and call out the podcast form itself. But you don't need to worry: your media consumption habits are good. You're fine. You're one of the ones who gets it, definitely.
This is just a small clip from the full episode, which is available to patrons:
patreon.com/leftofphilosophy
References:
Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment, trans. Edmund Jephcott (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2002).
Theodor Adorno, "Free Time", in Critical Models (New York: Columbia University Press, 2005).
Music: Vintage Memories by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com
90 | Ecological Materialism and Logistical Strategy w/ Dr. Jeff Diamanti
89 TEASER | G.A. Cohen's Analytical Red Sublime
88 | On Late Fascism w/ Alberto Toscano
87 | The Politics of Left-Wing Climate Realism w/ Dr. Ajay Singh Chaudhary
86 | Right-Wing Political Thought w/ Dr. Matt McManus
85 TEASER | Giving an Account of Oneself: Judith Butler's Ethics of Opacity
84 | Sex in Philosophy w/ Dr. Manon Garcia
83 | What is Aesthetics? Part III: Ernst Bloch: In Search of the Red Sublime
82 | The State and Right: Kant's Metaphysics of Morals
81 TEASER | David Harvey: Capitalist Urbanization and the Right to the City
80 | Grab Bag Special Episode with Michael Peterson! Utilitarian Harems, Nietzschean Ciphers, and Cowardly Chatbots
79 | What Could It Mean to Say, “Capitalism Causes Sexism and Racism”? with Professor Vanessa Wills
78 | Perry Anderson's Considerations on Western Marxism
77 | What is Ecosocialism? Part I. John Bellamy Foster and the Metabolic Rift
76 | For and Against Participatory Planning & Economics
75 TEASER | Power, Reason, and Justification: Rainer Forst’s Critical Theory
74 | Time and Work Discipline with E.P. Thompson
73 | Effective Altruism is Terrible w/ John Duncan
72 | Gerrard Winstanley and the English Revolution
Updates and Live Show Announcement! 8/22/2023
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
강유원의 책담화冊談話
The Art of Manliness
Dear Hank & John
Philosophize This!
A Catholic Commentary on the Chosen