Theodor W. Adorno

Theodor W.Adorno was one of the towering intellectuals of the twentieth century. His contributions cover such a myriad of fields, including the sociology of culture, social theory, the philosophy of music, ethics, art and aesthetics, film, ideology, the critique of modernity and musical composition, that it is difficult to assimilate the sheer range and profundity of his achievement. His celebrated friendship with Walter Benjamin has produced some of the most moving and insightful correspondence on the origins and objects of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory.

This unprecedented collection, devised and assembled by one of Europe′s rising social theorists, distills the best from published assessments and responses to Adorno′s oeuvre. The collection is divided into 4 volumes:

Volume 1: Philosophy, Ethics and Critical Theory

Part 1: Negative Dialectics

Included here are contributions on the concept of totality in the writings of Adorno and Lukacs; Adorno and Bourgeois Philosophy; the relationship between Adorno and Kierkegaard; Adorno′s Critique of Idealism; Adorno and Linguistics; Adono and Habermas.

Part 2: Ethics and Redemption

This is comprised of contributions on Adorno and Truth; Adorno′s Inverse Theology; and Adorno and the Ineffable

Part 3: Critical Theory, Ideology Critique and Social Science

Included here are contributions on Adorno′s relation to the Positivist Dispute; the Popper-Adorno Controversy; Adorno and Empirical Research; and Hermeneutics and Critical Theory.

Volume 2: Aesthetic Theory

Part 1: Art and Politics in ′Aesthetic Theory′

This includes material on the De-Aestheticization of Art; Adorno, Utopia and Mimesis; Adorno and autonomous art; Adorno and Dialectics; Adorno, Marxism and Art; Art and Criticism in Adorno′s Aesthetics; Adorno′s concept of the Avant-Garde.

Part 2: Philosophy of Music

This includes contributions on Adorno′s music and social criticism; Adorno and nostalgia; Adorno, Heidegger and the meaning of music; Adorno and Wagner.

Part 3: On Jazz

The material included here addresses questions of Adorno and Popular Music; Adorno′s encounter with jazz; Adorno, Jazz and Society; and the reasons for Adorno′s apparent hatred of jazz.

Volume 3: Social Theory & The Critique of Modernity

Part 1: On ′The Dialectic of Enlightenment′

Included here are chapters on the dialectic of enlightenment and post-functionalist thought; dialectic of enlightenment as genealogy critique;...