Date: Sun, 08 Sep 2002 16:47:20 -0400
From: Lou Caton <lcaton-AT-wisdom.wsc.ma.edu>
Subject: Adorno's _Jargon of Authenticity_


D. Smith below mentions the possible benefits of reading Adorno's _Jargon of
Authenticity_.  I'm wondering myself how to understand the book.  I found it
shrill, polemical, and rather unfocused.  It seemed to be more or less a blanket
refusal to interpret authenticity in any way other than a practical,
down-to-earth, concrete fashion.  Didn't Adorno use the word as a representative
example of how philosophers turn social/material realities into abstract
theories?  He seemed to want to pull the term away from the transcendental
heritage that had informed its use by others, notably Buber, Kierkegaard, and
Heidegger. Overall, I think Adorno was on a bit of a rage to discount the
theological background of existentialism generally.  But he did so in a rather
dismissive tone; his arguments didn't seem to convince me, at least.  Could
D.Smith come back on line and set me straight as to the elements of this work
that I obviously missed (?).  Does anyone know of a good "gloss" on this text?
Many Thanks.

Lou Caton
Westfield SC
lcaton-AT-wisdom.wsc.ma.edu

"D. Smith" wrote:

> i'm not sure how what you just wrote below has anything to do with your
> earlier puerile statement.  as for you being tired of singing the same
> litany over and over again, i can assure you there are many on this list
> who are even more tired of hearing it.  in other words, your
> martyr-independent scholar routine is getting old, ralph.  i humbly suggest
> you read adorno's _jargon of authenticity_ very carefully.
>
> DS
>
> At 10:58 AM 9/7/02 -0400, you wrote:
> >What it's about is the ability to pay attention, and to relate abstract
> >ideas to concrete realities without a whole lot of intervening
> >static.  Does applying ideas intelligently and learning how to communicate
> >them outside of a narrow circle jerk have a place on the Frankfurt School
> >list or not?  You know, I run into this problem at least once a year on
> >this list.  I'm tired of singing the same litany over and over again.  So
> >I'll leave it right here.
> >
> >At 10:41 AM 9/7/02 -0400, D. Smith wrote:
> >>Ralph Dumain wrote: [...]
> >>
> >>"As for being intellectual or anti-intellectual, I'm more intellectual than
> >>you'll ever live to be." [...]
> >>
> >>is this a frankfurt school listserv or an elementary school playground?
> >
> >
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >The C.L.R. James Institute:
> >      http://www.clrjamesinstitute.org
> >Ralph Dumain's "The Autodidact Project":
> >      http://www.autodidactproject.org
> >
> >"Nature has no outline but imagination has."
> >                           -- William Blake
> >