Freedom and dialectics: On the critical theory of Moishe Postone and Theodor Adorno

Philosophy and Social Criticism 51 (1):50-76 (2025)
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Abstract

This article examines the relation between the critical theory of Moishe Postone and the philosophy of Theodor Adorno. While the former is clearly influenced by the latter, these influences mostly stay implicit. When explicit, he does not so easily put his own thought in line with Adorno’s and is highly critical of him. I will investigate the ways in which ideas from Adorno made their way into Postone’s work, but also where the latter diverts from them. As will be shown, Postone’s critical theory runs into a problem when one examines the immanent ground of his critical norm, freedom. Adorno, on the contrary, does succeed in employing the same norm in his own immanent critique. I will conclude that the problem Postone encounters can be avoided by being more of an ‘Adornian’, and that his theory allows this.

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Citations of this work

Freedom and Heteronomy in the Anthropocene.Harry F. Dahms & Alexander M. Stoner - 2023 - Paragrana: Internationale Zeitschrift für Historische Anthropologie 32 (1):39-52.

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References found in this work

The Idea of Natural History.Theodor W. Adorno - 1984 - Telos: Critical Theory of the Contemporary 1984 (60):111-124.
The Actuality of Philosophy.Theodor W. Adorno - 1977 - Telos: Critical Theory of the Contemporary 1977 (31):120-133.
The actuality of philosophy.Theodor W. Adorno - 2000 - In O., Connor & B., The Adorno Reader. Blackwell. pp. 120-133.
Critique and Historical Transformation.Moishe Postone - 2004 - Historical Materialism 12 (3):53-72.

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