Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation
This paper will advance a novel interpretation of Theodor Adorno’s theory of knowledge, or epistemology, in his magnum-opus, Negative dialectics. I argue, contra the dominant interpretation of Negative Dialectics in the literature, that Adorno can be taken to propound a positive and systematic theor...
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| Format: | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/147317 |
| _version_ | 1826127441463083008 |
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| author | Teng, Gerald Yi Shee |
| author2 | Dimitris Apostolopoulos |
| author_facet | Dimitris Apostolopoulos Teng, Gerald Yi Shee |
| author_sort | Teng, Gerald Yi Shee |
| collection | NTU |
| description | This paper will advance a novel interpretation of Theodor Adorno’s theory of knowledge, or epistemology, in his magnum-opus, Negative dialectics. I argue, contra the dominant interpretation of Negative Dialectics in the literature, that Adorno can be taken to propound a positive and systematic theory of knowledge despite his commitments to anti-systematicity. The paper comprises three main sections. In the first section, I argue that Adorno adopts a Kantian foundation for his epistemology. I will show that Adorno is interested in a theory of objective knowledge based on a Kantian understanding of a mediated relationship between subject and object. In the second section, I elucidate Adorno’s conception of “conceptuality” and “constellation.” I argue that Adorno posits both necessary and sufficient conditions for true objective judgements. In the third section, I attempt a systematic reconstruction of Adorno’s epistemology. I argue that Adorno’s position can be considered as an improvement over the position of epistemic contextualism in analytic epistemology. To end, I consider how Adorno’s epistemology can be read alongside his critical theory. I suggest that Adorno’s epistemology is not descriptive but normative— Adorno’s Negative Dialectics expresses an approximate, but importantly, ethically and critically informed, theory of knowledge. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:08:55Z |
| format | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| id | ntu-10356/147317 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:08:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | Nanyang Technological University |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1473172023-03-11T20:11:21Z Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation Teng, Gerald Yi Shee Dimitris Apostolopoulos School of Humanities d.apostolopoulos@ntu.edu.sg Humanities::Philosophy This paper will advance a novel interpretation of Theodor Adorno’s theory of knowledge, or epistemology, in his magnum-opus, Negative dialectics. I argue, contra the dominant interpretation of Negative Dialectics in the literature, that Adorno can be taken to propound a positive and systematic theory of knowledge despite his commitments to anti-systematicity. The paper comprises three main sections. In the first section, I argue that Adorno adopts a Kantian foundation for his epistemology. I will show that Adorno is interested in a theory of objective knowledge based on a Kantian understanding of a mediated relationship between subject and object. In the second section, I elucidate Adorno’s conception of “conceptuality” and “constellation.” I argue that Adorno posits both necessary and sufficient conditions for true objective judgements. In the third section, I attempt a systematic reconstruction of Adorno’s epistemology. I argue that Adorno’s position can be considered as an improvement over the position of epistemic contextualism in analytic epistemology. To end, I consider how Adorno’s epistemology can be read alongside his critical theory. I suggest that Adorno’s epistemology is not descriptive but normative— Adorno’s Negative Dialectics expresses an approximate, but importantly, ethically and critically informed, theory of knowledge. Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy 2021-03-31T06:41:30Z 2021-03-31T06:41:30Z 2021 Final Year Project (FYP) Teng, G. Y. S. (2021). Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation. Final Year Project (FYP), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/147317 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/147317 en application/pdf Nanyang Technological University |
| spellingShingle | Humanities::Philosophy Teng, Gerald Yi Shee Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation |
| title | Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation |
| title_full | Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation |
| title_fullStr | Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation |
| title_short | Theodor Adorno's epistemology : a positive interpretation |
| title_sort | theodor adorno s epistemology a positive interpretation |
| topic | Humanities::Philosophy |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/147317 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tenggeraldyishee theodoradornosepistemologyapositiveinterpretation |