Adorno, Politics, and the Aesthetic Animal PDF
Preview Adorno, Politics, and the Aesthetic Animal
ADORNO, POLITICS, AND THE AESTHETIC ANIMAL This page intentionally left blank ADORNO, POLITICS, and the AESTHETIC ANIMAL Caleb J. Basnett UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS Toronto Buffalo London © University of Toronto Press 2021 Toronto Buffalo London utorontopress.com Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN 978-1-4875-4144-6 (cloth) ISBN 978-1-4875-4146-0 (EPUB) ISBN 978-1-4875-4145-3 (PDF) Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Title: Adorno, politics, and the aesthetic animal / Caleb J. Basnett. Names: Basnett, Caleb J., author. Description: Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210218479 | Canadiana (ebook) 20210218525 | ISBN 9781487541446 (cloth) | ISBN 9781487541460 (EPUB) | ISBN 9781487541453 (PDF) Subjects: LCSH: Adorno, Theodor W., 1903–1969 – Criticism and interpretation. | LCSH: Human-animal relationships – Philosophy. | LCSH: Humanism. Classification: LCC B105.A55 B37 2022 | DDC 179/.3–dc23 University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario. For Taiyo and Hazuki This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: What Is an Aesthetic Animal? 3 Humans, Animals, and Art in Political Theory 4 The Aristotelian Problematic 13 A Forecast 22 Part One: The Remnants of the Greeks, the Ruins of Humanism 27 1 The Perils of Dialectic 29 Adorno’s Aristotle 29 Non-identity and Dialectic 40 Constellation of Objects 47 2 Variations on a Theme: Humanity and Progress 55 Humane Humanity 58 Reconciled Humanity 63 The Question of Progress 67 Part Two: Untying the Knot of Humanity 75 3 Relatively Modest Horrors: Adorno and Animals 79 Anthropology, Dialectical and Otherwise 79 Animal Violence in Human Constitution 89 Non-identity as Human Animality 99 The Utopian Animal 106 4 The Politics of an Aesthetic Animal 117 Mimesis 122 Morality and Politics 130 viii Contents The Inhuman Addendum 138 Inhuman Art 147 Animal Technique 159 Conclusion: Wither Humanity? 169 Bibliography 185 Index 203 Acknowledgments In thinking back on all the twists and turns that led to these ideas be- coming a book, I find it difficult to separate the gratitude I feel toward those who helped along the way from the “unstable events” that en- tangled our respective trajectories. These entanglements sometimes seemed rather brief; in other cases, we’ve yet to be untangled. At any rate, it is perhaps best to use this page in the conventional manner, naming individuals rather than events. First and foremost, I would like to thank Asher Horowitz for guiding this study, and Shan- non Bell and Martin Breaugh for reading a rather lengthy early ver- sion of it and for the helpful comments and criticisms they offered. I must also thank Stephen L. Newman, J.J. McMurtry, and Andrew Biro for similarly wading through the earlier version and for the insightful commentary they provided. My past colleagues at York University also deserve honourable mention for their efforts as interlocutors and critics. They include Jor- dan Brennan, Cohen Brown, Elliott Buckland, Karl Dahlquist, Jason Harman, Paul Herbert, Christopher Holman, Arthur Imperial, Nadia Hasan, Rachel Magnusson, Paul Mazzocchi, James McMahon, Devin Penner, and Daniel Ross. To this list I must add professors at the Uni- versity of Alberta whose teaching contributed to shaping my ideas, almost certainly more than they realize: Don Carmichael, Catherine Kellogg, Stéphanie Martens, and Sylvia Vance. I need also to thank Sheela Subramanian, Maxime Capelliez, Alexan- der Buchinski, Ian Mackell, Craig Warner, and of course Nagisa, Taiyo, Hazuki, Yoko, Wendy and Richard, and Caitlin and Cassandra. Thanks also to Michael Blézy for his editorial advice, the procure- ment of unexpected pastries, and all the extremely important discus- sions about coffee.
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