

#1416
Mentioned in 17 episodes
Dialectic of Enlightenment
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Book •
Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno's "Dialectic of Enlightenment" is a complex and influential work of critical theory, exploring the relationship between reason, myth, and domination.
The authors argue that the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason has paradoxically led to new forms of domination and control.
They trace the development of instrumental reason, which reduces everything to means-ends calculations, and its role in shaping modern society.
The book explores the interplay between reason and myth, arguing that myth is not simply irrational but can also be a source of critical insight.
"Dialectic of Enlightenment" remains a challenging but rewarding read, offering profound insights into the complexities of modernity and the dangers of unchecked rationality.
The authors argue that the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason has paradoxically led to new forms of domination and control.
They trace the development of instrumental reason, which reduces everything to means-ends calculations, and its role in shaping modern society.
The book explores the interplay between reason and myth, arguing that myth is not simply irrational but can also be a source of critical insight.
"Dialectic of Enlightenment" remains a challenging but rewarding read, offering profound insights into the complexities of modernity and the dangers of unchecked rationality.
Mentioned by


















Mentioned in 17 episodes
Mentioned by 

as a scathing investigation into what went wrong with the Enlightenment, discussed in the context of the Frankfurt School.


Stephen West

60 snips
Episode #143 ... Jürgen Habermas pt. 1 - The Public Sphere
Mentioned as a difficult but central book that argues the Enlightenment unleashes domination as a mode of behavior.

55 snips
Class 15: Hannah Arendt, Totalitarianism and the Nature of Evil
Mentioned by a speaker when discussing the effectiveness of fascism despite its proponents' stupidity.

54 snips
Mark Fisher vs. Peter Thiel: Acid Communism Against the Coming Fascism with Jac Lewis
Mentioned by 

in the context of the Frankfurt School and their work on critical theory.


Tod Worner

33 snips
Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse w/ Carl Trueman
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in the context of their observations on capitalism's vastness and its contribution to paranoia and conspiracy theories.


Matthew Remski

28 snips
257: AI Gurus
Discussed at length for its critique of the Enlightenment and its internal contradictions.

21 snips
117: Max Horkheimer & Theodore Adorno - Dialectic of Enlightenment, Part 1
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in the context of a discussion about the capitalist predation of human loneliness.

Richard Gilman Opalski

17 snips
Marxism, Anarchism, and the Power of Communist Imagination: Richard Gilman-Opalsky on Utopia and Revolution
Mentioned as the most important text of the course, though a difficult one to read.

15 snips
Class 14: The Frankfurt School

Daniel Garner

13 snips
Sweeny vs Bard #63 w. Daniel Gardner of O. G. Rose - Belonging and Process
Mentioned by the speaker as a book exploring the stupidity of cleverness, particularly in the context of the rise of Hitler.

11 snips
A Reading of "Against Knowingness" from Adorno & Horkheimer's 'Dialectic of Enlightenment'
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in the context of post-war German intellectual culture and its response to the Holocaust.


Dirk Moses

11 snips
Primo Levi Reads Dante: The role of literature in our world
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when discussing the Frankfurt School's critique of entertainment as mind-numbing and part of the culture industry.

Ellie Anderson

Fun
Scheduled to be covered in the next episode.

116: Nietzsche’s Inaugural Address - Homer & Classical Philology
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in the context of critical theory and its influence on the 'woke' left.

Susan Neiman

Whose Word is 'Woke'?
Mentioned by 

when discussing critical theory and its origins.


Jacob Howland

#628: The Rise of Secular Religion and the New Puritanism
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, who refers to a passing mention of air conditioning in theaters in the book.

Ellie Anderson

Air
Mentioned by the podcast host as authors whose work on critical theory and its engagement with Nietzsche's philosophy will be discussed in a future episode.

Wandering Above a Sea of Fog #4
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as the magnum opus of the Frankfurt School, exploring the dialectic between reason and myth.


James Lindsay

Communism 2.5: Social Communism | James Lindsay
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when discussing Francis Bacon's role in the narrative of disenchantment.

Jason Ananda Josephson Storm

Jason Storm: Myth of Disenchantment
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as scholars who viewed the Enlightenment as a project of Western domination.

Andrew Keen

Episode 2509: David A. Bell on "The Enlightenment"