Dialectic of Enlightenment: Poems: Philosophical Fragments (Cultural Memory in the Present)
Dialectic of Enlightenment: Poems: Philosophical Fragments (Cultural Memory in the Present)
Couldn't load pickup availability
Worldwide Delivery
30 Days Easy Return
Secure Payment
- Author: Max Horkheimer , Theodor W. Adorno , Gunzelin Schmid Noeri (Editor), & 1 More
Product Description
Dialectic of Enlightenment is undoubtedly the most influential publication of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. Written during the Second World War and circulated privately, it appeared in a printed edition in Amsterdam in 1947. "What we had set out to do," the authors write in the Preface, "was nothing less than to explain why humanity, instead of entering a truly human state, is sinking into a new kind of barbarism." Yet the work goes far beyond a mere critique of contemporary events. Historically remote developments, indeed, the birth of Western history and of subjectivity itself out of the struggle against natural forces, as represented in myths, are connected in a wide arch to the most threatening experiences of the present. The book consists in five chapters, at first glance unconnected, together with a number of shorter notes. The various analyses concern such phenomena as the detachment of science from practical life, formalized morality, the manipulative nature of entertainment culture, and a paranoid behavioral structure, expressed in aggressive anti-Semitism, that marks the limits of enlightenment. The authors perceive a common element in these phenomena, the tendency toward self-destruction of the guiding criteria inherent in enlightenment thought from the beginning. Using historical analyses to elucidate the present, they show, against the background of a prehistory of subjectivity, why the National Socialist terror was not an aberration of modern history but was rooted deeply in the fundamental characteristics of Western civilization. Adorno and Horkheimer see the self-destruction of Western reason as grounded in a historical and fateful dialectic between the domination of external nature and society. They trace enlightenment, which split these spheres apart, back to its mythical roots. Enlightenment and myth, therefore, are not irreconcilable opposites, but dialectically mediated qualities of both real and intellectual life. "Myth is already enlightenment, and enlightenment reverts to mythology." This paradox is the fundamental thesis of the book. This new translation, based on the text in the complete edition of the works of Max Horkheimer, contains textual variants, commentary upon them, and an editorial discussion of the position of this work in the development of Critical Theory. Read more
Customers also viewed
System Design Interview: An Insiderβs Guide β 2 Volume Set by Alex Xu
Bratva Bride (Bratva Series)
Combo of Sharadiya Suktara Pujabarshiki 2026 || 1433 & Sharadiya Anandamela Pujabarshiki 2026 || 1433 (Shuktara & Anandamela Sharadiya 1433 (2026))
The Mirror of Infinite Endings: The highly anticipated return to the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling Once Upon a Broken Heart series and the epic love story of Jacks and Evangeline
Psychology (7th Edition) | Pearson | NEP 2020 Aligned | By Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White & Girishwar Misra
New Age Learnerβs Concise Odia-English Dictionary Book (Medium Size) | Comprehensive English Translation Dictionary | Student & Competitive Exam Vocabulary Guide Paperback | By B.R. Padhi & P.R. Das
NETZWERK NEU A2 - Textbook + Workbook + Glosser ( Set of 3 Books ) - KURSBUCH + UBUNGSBUCH + GLOSSAR | New Edition 2024
NCERT Textbook for Class-XI & XII | Biology | 2 Books Set | 2025-26 Edition
WHY WERE WOMEN ENSLAVED? Pen Yen Adimaiyanal? (English)
Vogue India Magazine - September - October 2026 - Mika Abdalla + The Vogue Wedding Book
The Liberation of Sita
The Essential Mir
The Critical Thinking Blueprint: A Complete Guide to Master Logic, Overcome Cognitive Biases, and Make Better Decisions
Tenida Samagra
Tarinikhuror Kirtikalap
Ramayanam Volume 2
Psychotic Obsession: Deluxe Edition
Pack of 3 : Saradiya Patrika Pujabarshiki 2026 || 1433 , Saradiya Desh Pujabarshiki 2026 || 1433 & Saradiya Anandabazar Patrika Pujabarshiki 2026 || 1433 (Sharadiya Patrika Collection)
India's Dance Classical and Folk | Baidyanath Prasad
Collections
View all-
Bestselling Books Collection
Explore our top-selling books loved by readers worldwide. This collection features the...
-
Most Ordered
Explore the Most Ordered books at UniversalReads. Featuring top-rated titles across fiction,...
-
Children's Books
Discover the best Childrenβs Books at UniversalReads. From bedtime stories to early...
-
Arts & Photography
Discover inspiring Arts & Photography books at UniversalReads. From painting guides to...
