Melancholy Science: An Introduction to the Thought of Theodor W. Adorno

222 Pages·1979·11.84 MB·English

by  Gillian Rose

TheM elanchoSlcyi ence
AnI ntrotdtouh cTeth iooung ht
of TheoWd.A odro rno
GilliRaons e
r
New 17H
Copyrig©htG illiRaons1 e79 8
Allr ightrse served
Publhie di n1 798i nG reBarti tbayTi hne M acmilPlraeLnst sd
andin thUen itSetda otfeA sm ericCao lbuym bia UPnrievsesr sity
Libraryo fC ongrCeastsa loing Piunbgl icDaatat ion
RoseG, illian.
Th · melanchsocliye nce.
(uEropeanp erspectives)
Bibglraip hyp:.
Inl ud• si ndex.
t. Adorno,T heodWo.r,1 0 93-9169.2 .F raunrktf
Io I sroci ology.3 ·C ommuniansdms ociety.
I. Titl•.
HM22.G3A31779 8 30.1092'47 81-555
ISBNQ -2I 34 584--{)
Printeidn H ong Kong
Contents
Ackneodmwgelents
VII
Preface
IX
TheC risiCsu lture
1 in
TheF rankfSucrhto o1l92,3 -50
TheF rankfSucrhto orlg5,o -6g 6
Adorno 8
2 TheS earfcohSr t yle I I
Moraliatnyd S tyle I I
TheE ssaays F orm 14
MiniMmoar alia I6
TheT raditoiofIn r ony I8
3 TheL amenotv eRre ification 27
Reificataisoa n S ociological Category 27
Historical 28
TheA busoef ' Reification' 28
Misattribuotf'i Roenisf ication' 30
Smimealn dR eification 32
TheY oungL ukacasn dt heY oungB enjamin 35
AgaiLnuskta casn dA gainBsetn jamin 40
Analytical 43
Adornoa ndR eification 43
NegtavieD iaclteic 44
Rciftoiinc a 46
Howi sCr itiTchaelo rPyo ssible? 48
4 A ChangeCdo ncepotfD ialectic 52
The CrilioqfuP ehi loopshy 52
lkd 56
62
6s
70
r
7
77
77
Contents
8'2
86
9I
95
I0'2
6 I09
I09
I I4
II 8
I'2I
I30
I38
'
,'alr'o s I49
LisotfA bbrev£atTiitolness of I5 5
otaensdR �ferences I5 9
ibliograplzy I93
'utbI jn dex 207
Index 2IO
ame
Acknowlgeedments
Manpye oeph laevi nsepdih,erl pdea ncdr ietdit chiwisosr kv aarti ous
steasgI.w isthot haenskp ecSiiaIrls layiB earhl iJnu,lC iuarslb each,
LeszkeK olakoSwtsenkvL ieu,k aensSd abeiM naCcormack.
Iw isthot hatnhkfel o lowpieonpegwl horae da ncdo memntdeo n all
or
parotft hmea nuscirnii tfipsnt as lte asgZ:e Bva rbTuo,mB ottoem,o r
FraGnlkoe -vrSmiEt.F h., JNe.p hcott.
Ina dditIwi iosnth ot haUnlrki kMee infh,wo hoc hecaklemldy
translaantrdite ornasn slfoarmtti hoGene rsm aann,Rd o gresR agavan
who gauvnes tmiean stsinincsigetn s ace rtearainapdlr actmiaectartIls .
ama lgsroea uftlt ot hLei braorfi AaSnntt oCnyoe'legslO, x ofrdfro,h er
patineec siunp plbyoionokgvsr et hpea sfwet yeaanrtdso , ASntt ony's
Colelegf rot hiesru ppIow ritst.ho t hatnhkSe o cSicanilce Ree esrach
CounctihlUe, n ievsritoyfS usseaxn dt heDe utsec Ahkamdiecshe
Austauscfhrofid nieannschtiel apdl u ritnhgce o rusoef t hrese aerch,
whiwcahps a rctolnyd uactt eFtderh eeU niversiBteryl,ia nnWad,et s t
thUen iesvriotfCy o ntsancWee,sG ter many.
Mys epicatlh aanrkgesi nv eStetoaf nC olliHneir,m iMnairot jionhsn,
Raffnaa nJda cqliuneReo s.e

Preface
'Thmee lancshcoilewynh cietc'hh bi oso ekx pouinnsdo astp essimistic
sciee.Bn yci nrtoducMiinngiM moar aalsi ao afenfr ifnorgm h'im­se
lancshcoiley-n anci en'rv seioofNn i etzs'ojcyuhfles 'csi e-nAdcoer'n o
undermainniden sv etrhsteas n guaintndo et calla oifmp sh iloasnodp hy
socioalnordgje ye,ca tnsdy i chostuocamhsyo ptsitmiic/pefsrois tim istic
implainie nsh erfiexnetadln ysd t avtiie.cw
Adornwoo'rdskr aownst radiitnihoenrfsori mtM eadr xiaannndo n­
Marxicarni tiocfHi esgme plh'isslo op,ha yndo nt hper e-Marxian
wrigtsoi fnLukaanocdfs B jeanmaismn u cahso nt heMiarr xwiraint ings.
ItnerpreotfAa dtoirosnnuoe f rfwsh ehni asi masn da chieveamreen ts
relastoeldte olM ya roxr atM oa rxitarna diwthiiocnhs omiesst ime
undefainnsdeo dm etoivmeersd e,afi nndee,qd uawlhleyhn,e jidusge d
solaesals yo cgiioHsletor.Ae d,o rntoh'osui gishtn tr oduacndedid s cussed
in oiwtnrs i g'hitm,m anetnout shleiy os'w ,nt erWmh.e raep propriate,
Adorneon'gsam geenwti tahn tdr safnmoartiooftn hm ea niyne tllectual
tradiwthiioicnnhsf ohriwmso rikes x amined.
Adorntoh'osu ght fdunedpaemnednsot nat lhlceya tegoofrr ey­
ific.aT thiicosan teghoaasrt yt aais nterda ngelyr odilonemm uicnha nt
neo-Maarnxpdih setn oomleongliictaelra antidun rr eec seoncti ological
amalgoaftm hse tsweot radiIttiis ou nsestd.oe vokotefe,n mbeyr e
suggeosrta ilolnu saiv oenrp,ye cualnidacr o mpleepxim sotleogical
settingi sr wahrieeclxhya mifnruetdho erjr u isft.iI endt hMea rxian
tradi'etriifoinc iasmt oisoottnf e'en m ploaysae w da yo fg eneralising
Ma.rxt'sh eoorfvy a lwuiet thh e oafpi rmo duacc irnigt tihceaoolrf y
sociialn tsuttiiaonondfcs u ltbuurftere q,u eanntcylr yi tfroiccieas l i lno st
the proceosfsg eneralisation.
Adorn 'sw rkt,h m sta mbitioaunsd importtaohn atv eeme gred
(rm th Institfurlt ialR · s·a r h b for 1969i,st hem osta bstruse,
an , inp itf�i ti nfnl u, s titlhl m stm isundr st d. hisi s
ul li tl y d I h ndf 1l
· .
'
I ' I u l
Preface
X
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m nyo ft hmei nwoorr okfs AdoLrunkoaa,cn sBd e jnamhianv bee en
trn salteorda rient hper ocoefbs esit nrga nslatesdh I.ins n ptiootf e E ngli
tihisn reasingo ftr eherici omgpnoirtttiahoneencrx eei assyt eslt i ttle
ystm aitcs tuodfty h ewiorr k.
Ih ave naottt emtpobt eee dx hauisntm iytv ree atmAednotr noof' s
worIknp. a rtihciuwslr airto,in nm guss iwch,icc ohn tsutotivee hra olff
hipsu ibslhweodr dko,n orte cedievteaa itltteeidno Anl.t hoAudgohr no
knwoeldgtehdie m portoafhn iccsoe l laboraHtoiroknh ehwiiimste hr ,
bastw itLhu kaacnswd i tBhej namrienv meoarloe ft hien spiration
whih rsutcetshu irtsh ouagnhIdth ,a vteh eorrecefo ncenotnrt ahtoesde
tsW.h ilIe a rguteh aAtd orntoe'xsmt uss bte r eafdor ma
th oolgipcoailon fvt i ewwi tchl oastet enttosi toynlf iaesttuirIce s,
rtherleecsosn,s thriiusdc eitanses td a rnded xaposfirotmoarty.
v , nev
Chapte1r
TheC risiinsC ulture
ThFe rnafkurSt chool,
1923-50
All ttehnes iwointsht ihneG ermaanc adecmoimcm unwihtiyc h
accompatnhciehe adn ignep so litciuuclrataalln, di ntellleeii cfnt ual
Germany1 g8sowi enrcreee prodiunc Ietsndht ei ftrouS toecR ieasle arch
formi tisn cepitnFi roanun rktf 12i93.n1T hecshea nwgeerswe i dely
diagnaosas ' ecdr iincs uilst .uB2ry te h'i sd evfietnriiyto nh' ec rwiassi s'
deplyoereetxd a caetreTbdh.Ie s ntictaurtretih eetdse en swiihoti nitsn to
exialnewd h einrt e tutronG eedr maantfyet rhw ea arn fduo nidt stehlef
sohleei troa d iscretdriatdeitdthi ieno hne rtietnesbdie ocnasem vee n
moraec uTthee.ts een sairoeenv si dienn wtto hroekfm osotft hSec hool's
membearnsmd,o sctl easre-llcyfo,n scainoidum osprltya inntt hlweyo rk
ofTheodWo.Ar d orno.
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