Date of Award

1-1-2019

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Political Science

Content Description

1 online resource (ix, 316 pages) : 1 color illustration.

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Morton Schoolman

Committee Members

Peter Breiner, Davide Panagia

Keywords

Adorno, Aesthetic, Critical Theory, Dialectic, Good, Summum Bonum, Common good, Good and evil

Subject Categories

Political Science

Abstract

Interpretations of Adorno have been dominated by the puzzle of his own theory. The dominant questions center on the internal consistency of his project. Detractors claim that thinking in general and Adorno’s project in particular relies on the same foundations—concepts like instrumental reasoning—that his theory itself seeks to criticize. This means that Adorno himself becomes implicated in his own critique and his entire project is neutered. Many interpreters have sought to come to Adorno’s aid to show that his project is consistent and potent, in part, because it shows us another way of thinking. Proponents of both sides, though, often realize that the next step in this debate is coming to understand what Adorno’s concept of the good is. The challenge is that this concept of the good must 1) be present in Adorno’s texts and 2) must not contradict his theory. This dissertation seeks to meet this challenge.

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