A Wisdom Archive on Theodor Adorno

Theodor Adorno - Early Frankfurt Years. Theodor (or 'Teddie') was born in Frankfurt as an only child to the wine merchant Oscar Alexander Wiesengrund (1870-1941, of Jewish descent, converted to Protestantism) and the Catholic singer Maria Barbara, born Calvelli-Adorno. It is the second half of this name that he later adopted as his surname (Wiesengrund was abbreviated to W). His musically talented aunt Agathe also lived with the family. Young Theodor passionately engaged in four-handed piano playing. His childhoo ...

Read more here: » Theodor Adorno: Encyclopedia II - Theodor Adorno - Biography

Adorno was to a great extent influenced by Walter Benjamin's application of Karl Marx's thought. However Adorno, along with other major Frankfurt School theorists such as Horkheimer and Marcuse, argued that advanced capitalism was able to contain or liquidate the forces that would bring about its collapse and that the revolutionary moment, when it would have been possible to transform it into socialism, had passed. Instead Adorno argued that capitalism had become more entrenched through its attack on the objective basis of revolutionary consciousness and through liquidation of the individualism that had ...

Read more here: » Theodor Adorno: Encyclopedia II - Theodor Adorno - Theory

The Adorno family was an illustrious plebeian family in Genoa, of the Ghibelline party, several of whom were Doges of the republic. Other related archivesDoges, Genoa, Ghibelline, Theodor Adorno

Read more here: » Adorno: Encyclopedia - Adorno

Louis Pierre Althusser (October 16, 1918 - October 23, 1990) was a Marxist philosopher. He was born in Algeria and studied at the prestigious École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy. He was a leading academic proponent of the French Communist Party and his arguments were a response to multiple threats to the ideological foundations of that socialist project. These included both the threat from an empiricism which was beginning to invade Marxist sociology and economics, and a threa ... Including:

• Louis Althusser - Biographical information
• Louis Althusser - Early Life
• Louis Althusser - Health
• Louis Althusser - Post-War
• Louis Althusser - 1980s
• Louis Althusser - Thought
• Louis Althusser - The 'Epistemological Break'
• Louis Althusser - Practices
• Louis Althusser - Contradiction and Overdetermination
• Louis Althusser - Ideological State Apparatuses
• Louis Althusser - Influence

Read more here: » Louis Althusser: Encyclopedia - Louis Althusser

For some, post-modernity is degenerate modernity, the critic Theodor Adorno being a prominent example of the idea that trends of music after serialism represent the banalization of and regression from modernity. For others, post-modernity is the sign of late capitalism and the decline of identity creating metanarratives, such as nation-states. Some bands which may be considered post-modern such as Radiohead and Godspeed You! Black Emperor have indeed prese ...

Read more here: » Postmodern music: Encyclopedia II - Postmodern music - Causes and theories of post-modernity in music

Repetition is important in music, where sounds or sequences are often repeated. One often stated idea is that repetition should be in balance with the initial statements and variations in a piece. It may be called restatement, such as the restatement of a (music)|theme]]. While it plays a role in all music, in fact most musical sounds are periodic, it is especially prominent in minimal music and, its influence, popular music. Theodor Adorno criticized repetition and popular music as being psychotic and infantile. Richard Middleton (1990) arg ...

Read more here: » Repetition: Encyclopedia II - Repetition - Music

Some of Kierkegaard's famous philosophical critics in the 20th century include Theodor Adorno and Emmanuel Levinas. Atheistic philosphers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger mostly support Kierkegaard's philosophical views, but criticize and reject his religious views. Adorno's take on Kierkegaard's philosophy has been less than faithful to the original intentions of Kierkegaard. At least one critic of Adorno considers his book Kierkegaard: Construction of the Aesthetic to be "the most irresponsible book ever written ...

Read more here: » Søren Kierkegaard: Encyclopedia II - Søren Kierkegaard - Criticisms of Kierkegaard