The Jargon of Authenticity

188 Pages·1973·2.7 MB·English

by  Theodor W. Adorno

Jargon
THE
Authenticity
OF

THEODOR W. ADORNO
Jargon
THE
Authenticity
OF
TRANS LAT ED BY
Knut Tarnowski
andF redeWriilcl
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KnuTtar nowsikisan isntructionrc omparaltiivtee ra­
turea tt hUen iversoifMt ays sachusetts.
FredeWrililic s p rofeosfsc oorm paraltiitveer ature
att hUeni versoifMt ays sachusetts.
CONTENTS
vii ForewboyT rrden,St c hroyer
AuthNoort'es
xix
ThJea rgoofAn u thenticity
3

FOREWORD
PHILOOSPHY WHICH ONCE
SEEMED OUTMODED IS NOW
ALIVEB ECAUSET HE MOMENT
OF ITS REALIZATION BHEAESN
MISSED.
TheodoWr. A dorno
Existnetilaismh as been de­
scridb beyP aulT illiasc h" an oveorn eh undrde year
oldm ovemenotfr ebellaigoani ntshted ehumanization
ofm an in indussotrciiaelt1 Byu.t"t hirseb ellihoans
been viweeda se merging bethcea suosel uotnisp ro­
posebdy H egelan d Marxp roveidn effectfiovroe v er­
comintgh ef acotf al ienatioTnh.u2 sK ierkegaianr d,
rejctiengH egeli'msm anentisomf R easoinn h isotry
simpltyr ietdor esotret hei rreduciobfih luimtany s ub­
jectitvyiF.o r Kierkethgeaa srudff eringt hoeif nd ivid­
ualis notj ustifiienda panlogiosfmh istory.
Th]e argoofAn u thenittiiysTc heodoWr. A dorno's
I. PauTlil li"cExhi,s tentPihailliosstoT pheh Jyo,u"r noafl
the HisotfIo dreya Vs (,J an1.9,44 4)4,7 0.
2. F.H. HeinemaEnxins,t entiaanldit shme ModPerrne ­
dicament (NewY ork1,9 5,8p ).1 2.
vii
critiqoufet h ei deolgoyo fG ermaenx itsentisaml.iAs a
memberof theF rankfurts coholo fc ritictahle ory/
Adornoc'rsi tiiqsu Heae g ealni-Marxirsets ponsteh et o
existentiarleijsetc toifco rni tirceaals oAnl.t houtghh is
analysfiosc usuepso nt wentieth-cGeenrtmuanre yx ­
isetntliisame,s peciiatlpslo yts -WorWlard IId iffusion,
theb asicco ncerni si tnso tioofn subjievcit.tT yhaits ,
Adorno'csr itiiqsiu tels fea na ttemtpott r anscaenndd
incluidnet hep erspecotifvc er iticraela sotnh et ruth
oft hee xistentcioanlciesfrton rt hef undamelnnteass
ofh umans ubejctivIintt yh.is se nse Adoarnnoa'lsy sis
parallethlast o fJ ea-nPauSlart re, iwnht oh ien troduc­
tiotno t heC ritiquoe fDi alectiRceaalsar ognu ets hat,
corcrteluyn derstoeoxdi,s tentialiiss mmao mento f
dialtieccaolr,c rictial,r eason.'
HoweverA,do nro'isn tegnote besy onda counter­
critiqoufee x istentiaanldia ssmp irteobs ea cirqiutoef
thei deoloignyh enrtei ni tsG ermanf ormulnasti.o
Adornon oto nlwya nttos salvatgheen otioonf s ub­
jeticvitfyr omt hei dealitsetincd enocfey x istentialism,
a concehrne s harwesi tShar treb,u th ea lswoa nttso
showt hatt hitsh eohrasy becomem yas tificaotifto hne
actlu aopcressoefds o mianti.oI nnt his way Adorno's
critiiqswu iet hitnh e tradioftcr iiotni ctahle orcyr'is­
tiquoefi deoglyoT.h ein tenotf c rititchaeloi rsy rteo-
3·T heF rankfusrtc hoiosbl e sktn owbny i tlse admiemn g
bers, amonga reMw axh oHmor kheimWearl,t Beern jamin,
HerbeMratr cuansde ,J iirgeHna bemras.H owevetrh,e saree
onlthye b et-tkenromwnem berso fa tr aditoifco rint itchaelo ry
thahta sn ows pnanetdw og enernastAn.i oexcelilnetnetl lec
tuahlit soroyft hihsi ghilmyp ortta anndl ilteut ndersctoomo­d
munityo f radsicchaollh aarsjs u sbte epnu blisbhyMe adr tin
Jay under ttihtoelf eT heD ialectIimcaagli nat(iBoosnt on,
1973).
4·J eaPna ulS artSreea,r cfho ra Metho(dN ew York,
196)3.
viii
construthcet g eneratoifho ins toarlfi ocrmosf c on­
sciousinneo srsd etrod emontsrahtoew t hemyi srepre­
senatc tusaolc iraell atioannsdth erebjyu sftiyh istori­
caflo rmofs d ominiaotnI.nt hisw ayd ialecrteiacsalo n
isa ctualibzyec drt iictahle orwihsoti,sn t herierfl ective
criqtuieso ft heb asicc atgeorioefsh itsoriccaoln ­
scionuessss,e etko r econcmielnea ndw oment ot he
actualoiftt hye hirit soripcoasls iibei.slSo i ctonceived,
crictialt heoirsya theoretmiocmaeln to ft he" class
strugg.l"e
Howevetrh,el taeFrr ankfsucrhto nooll ongaesr­
sumetdh athte c atgeorioefMs ar x'csr iqtuieo fp oliictal
ecnoomy weardee qautef ort hec ritiqofu el atien ­
dustrisaolc ie(tiy.. e,b oth" capitalainsdm" ss"o cial­
isms"I)tw. a sp recistehlefy a iloufrMe ar x'sh itsorical
agentof c hangteh,ep roleitaattr,ob ecomae c lass-for­
itsetlhfas tit mulattehdeF rankfusrcth ooaln'asl yses
oft hei deo�girceailfi cattihoabntls o ckheudm anl ib­
eratni.Tho eirc oncefrno rt heg rwoth off alsceo n­
sciousness gbeytn hee"r cautletdiu nrdeu stry" and the
increaisnetde graatinodny ,et a tomiizoanto,fp ersons
int hei ndustroiradler re sulitnea d s erioefsc ritical
analysoefms a ssc ulturaned ideologtircaaidloi nts,
e..g,a uthiotrarisaonc ifaolr sm,t hel egaocfyt heE n­
lighntmeen'tsn oitono fRe asone,t cI.n5t hea bsenocfe
a decisaigveen ts oocfi cahla ngaen,di nt hem idsotf
whatM arcustee rmead" one-dimenssoicoyine,att"lh e
baisci nteroefts hteF rankfsucrhto ol towr aess totrhee
actutayol fic ritircaatiloa nlitIyn.d e,et dherire fustaol
affirm "mechaniMcaarxli smo"r u topihaonp efso r
s.S omoef t hesstedu iesa re naovwa ilianbE lnegi lshs,u ch
asM . Horkheeirma nd TheW.od oArd ornDoi,a lecotfiE cn ­
lightenm(eNenwt York1,9 72M)ax; Horkmheer,i Critical
Theor(yNe wY ork1,97 2).
ix