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Theodor Adorno

Theodor Adorno was director of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt from 1956 until his death in 1969. His works include In Search of Wagner; Aesthetic Theory; Negative Dialectics; and (with Max Horkheimer) Dialectic of Enlightenment and Towards a New Manifesto.

Blog

  • Have Yourself a Merry Little Frankfurt School Christmas




    Recently launched by the self-styled "sporting outfitters of intellectual distinction" aka Philosophy Football, comes their Adorno football t- shirt. Here was a philosopher who knew all about the necessity to endure defeat in order to truly enjoy the moment of victory.

    Philosophy Football have five of the t-shirts to be won in the December competition and one lucky winner will also receive a set of Verso titles by iconic names from, and inspired by, the Frankfurt School.



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  • COMPETITION: Win Verso's Five Titles by Adorno!

    To celebrate Theodor Adorno's 109th birthday on September 11th, we have a competition! There are three sets to giveaway of all the Adorno titles published by Verso: Quasi Una Fantasia, Minima Moralia, In Search of Wagner, Aesthetics and Politics and Towards a New Manifesto. 

    Thanks to everyone who took part and congratulations to our winners who can look forward to some stimulating reading. The answers to the questions are below.

    Q1. Minima Moralia derives its title from a work by which philosopher?

    A: Aristotle

    Q.2 In what text was the term "culture industry" first coined?

    A: 
    The Dialectic of Enlightenment.

    The winners will be the first three people to answer both questions correctly. Those in North America, email verso@versobooks.com. For the rest of the world, including the UK, email enquiries@verso.co.uk. Please put ADORNO COMPETITION in the subject line or your entry may not be counted. The winners will be announced on Tuesday 11th September.

    Please do not post the answers in the Comments or Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else—entries accepted by email only. Any comments posting the answers will be deleted. 

    Good luck! 



  • Commodity Music Analysed: Adorno on NTS Live

    "The sheer idiocy of a mass product created especially for you assumes the character of a ghastly necessity. Individual needs have been so ruthlessly eliminated from the product that they have to be invoked like magic formulae to prevent the customer from becoming aware of the murderous ritual of which he is the victim. The entire life of a lover is proclaimed to have been produced for the first person who happens to pass by. ‘Especially for you that's all I live for / Especially for you that's all I'm here for'... The truth is made clear in the first instance by a warning prominently placed beneath the title of the hit song: ‘Any copying of the words or music of this song or any portion thereof, makes the infringer liable to criminal prosecution under U.S. copyright law.' After reading this, anyone who harboured the illusion that an object existed especially for him, and who had bought it on that assumption, will dismiss the idea that it actually belonged to him. If he wished to change this situation he would be locked up, if he weren't locked up already."

    — Theodor Adorno in 'Commodity Music Analysed'.

    Critical theorist Theodor Adorno wrote extensively, and passionately, about the radical potential of music. His writing itself continues to provoke such passions: at Verso's recent panel discussion, held at Cafe Oto on March 18th, music writers Adam Harper and Ben Watson, and curator Irene Revell, talked frankly about his relevance to contemporary music today. The discussion took Adorno's essay 'Commodity Music Analysed', a scathing attack on commercial popular music, as a controversial starting point, and the participants went on to discuss his attitude to jazz, what constitutes "real" working-class culture and the modern music journalism industry. 

    NTS Live was there to record the ensuing debate, and have made the event available as a podcast. Visit the NTS website to listen to the broadcast. 'Commodity Music Analysed' is a key essay in Adorno's own anthology of music writing, Quasi Una Fantasia.

Books

Discussions

Discussions occur on book pages throughout the site. The most recent discussions about the works of Theodor Adorno are listed below.

  • German source for this?

    What is the German source for this? Is this in Adorno or Horkheimer's collected works? A Suhrkamp publication? Archival? Or is there a recording? I'd like to read or hear this in German.

    BTW: Livingstone is an excellent, excellent translator.

    2 responses

  • Dialectics it is wonderful.

    Dear sirs economists, philosophers.   The scientist of the new direction in Russian philosophy and the economic theory represents a subject of modern interpretation of a method of a triyedinstvo for application in the organization of economic (economic) systems.   Quintessence of Russian philosophy and the economic theory is the triyedinstvo or vseedinstvo method. Modern interpretation of this method, on the basis of achievements of the advanced directions in these areas also allows to speak about novelty of the direction. The innovative essence is that the methodology a triyedinstvo from the idealistic beginning is applied. This methodology is stated in my new book - Bases of methodology of Russian economic school. / V. M. Chefonov — Irkutsk: Publishing house БГУЭП, 2011. - 247с. ISBN 978-5-7253-2330-6     In what novelty of the direction as a whole?   In that the material on construction of economic systems on the basis of use of methodology of a triyedinstvo from the idealistic beginning is given. This methodology, without destroying the saved-up experience, simply builds on it the harmonizing beginning. Therefore this methodology works to the dress and together with before saved-up experience of the organization of economic systems.   In what being of this method?   This method of the organization of systems connects three subjects, three methods, three tendencies of life of to some extent isolated system of an economy in uniform system.     I will present a being of structure of this method.   Let's cause these three methods essentially, i.e. on the substance of their structure, to a construction principle:   Monistichesky method (metaphysics). Fundamental principle of the organization of communications of components of this method is the principle of domination of one of properties, elements, qualities in any system, as leads to formation of monistichesky (metaphysical) methodology of the organization of system of components involved in a turn. Dominating forms of components three is material, existential, ideal.   Dialectics. The dialectic method as the dominating organizing beginning accepts a methodological principle of a contradiction to use. Dialectic a method three is materialistic, existential, idealistic   Triyedinstvo. Triyedinstvo as a methodological principle is formed in the conditions of a harmonious form of the organization of all variety of the components involved in a turn. Therefore, there are three methods of a triyedinstvo is a triyedinstvo from the materialistic beginning, from existential, from idealistic.   The fundamental principle of each of methods the is a monad, a substance, a form. Which reveal in three subject and methodological bases. Three subjects: the material – existential - ideal. Three methods: monisticheskiya – dialectic - triune. Three tendencies or qualities of process of life: evolution – revolution - jump.   All these three subject and methodological bases exist at the same time in parallel consecutive взаимоувязанных communications.   In what novelty of application of this method in the organization of economic systems?   Novelty is in the economic theory that the modern economic system has three levels of persons of a property is a private property, state (collective), interstate. Any of current economic (philosophical) schools doesn't allow to organize harmoniously such three-level structure of economic process. Russian economic school on the methodological structure is based on a harmonious form of connection of three parties of economy (economy).   In what being of structure of modern economic (economic) system?   Economy (economy as a whole) it:   Three types of work necessary for performance of economic functions (production, an exchange, goods use) are physical, administrative, intellectual.   Three spheres of application of these three types of work are material, administrative (public sector), spiritual.   Three forms of high-quality transformations of economic (economic) process are an evolutionary way of development, it is a revolutionary way of development, it is jump in development.   Such structure of economy (economy) also allows to speak about need of application of methodology of Russian economic school or a triyedinstvo from the idealistic beginning.  

    0 responses

  • Translator?

    Who translated this book, and why is the translator's name omitted from the cover, from your description on this site, and from your promotional materials? Are you ashamed of his/her work?

    1 response