#1580
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 
Stephen West
75 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 
Matthew Remski
46 snips
257: AI Gurus
Mentioned by 
Tod Worner
33 snips
Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse w/ Carl Trueman
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
Mentioned by ![undefined]()
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 
Dirk Moses
11 snips
Primo Levi Reads Dante: The role of literature in our world
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'
Mentioned by ![undefined]()
Ellie Anderson
Fun
Scheduled to be covered in the next episode.
116: Nietzsche’s Inaugural Address - Homer & Classical Philology
Mentioned by 
Jacob Howland
#628: The Rise of Secular Religion and the New Puritanism
Mentioned by ![undefined]()
Susan Neiman
Whose Word is 'Woke'?
Mentioned by ![undefined]()
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
Mentioned by 
James Lindsay
Communism 2.5: Social Communism | James Lindsay
Mentioned as a text reminiscent of Ballard's idea of the 20th century being a marriage of reason and nightmare.
Matthew Benjamin Cole, "Fear the Future: Dystopia and Political Imagination in the Twentieth Century" (U of Michigan Press, 2025)
Mentioned when discussing the perceived naivety of Homer and the Homeric epics.
The Gay Science #18 (IV.299-310)
