What Are Concepts?

In this patron-exclusive episode, we continue our series on the concept of dialectics by talking about Adorno’s Negative Dialectics. We reflect on what a non-closed dialectical system would look like, why Adorno is definitely not the defeatist he’s often caricatured as being, and what it means for us to hold onto utopian promises for a better world from within the administered nightmare of modern capitalism. Along the way we try to hone in on what’s special about Adorno’s negative dialectics, especially in comparison with what we get out of Kant and Hegel. And we give Heidegger an appropriately hard time for being just the worst.

This is just a small clip from the full episode, which is available to patrons:

patreon.com/leftofphilosophy

References:

Theodor Adorno, Negative Dialectics, trans. E.B. Ashton (New York: Continuum, 2007).

Music: Vintage Memories by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com