Theodor Adorno
Theodor Adorno
Theodor W. Adornowas a German philosopher, sociologist, and composer known for his critical theory of society...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth11 September 1903
CountryGermany
empathy imitating-others imitation
The human is indissolubly linked with imitation: a human being only becomes human at all by imitating other human beings.
history doe language
History does not merely touch on language, but takes place in it.
principles fascism domination
Fascism is itself less 'ideological', in so far as it openly proclaims the principle of domination that is elsewhere concealed.
successful people done
As naturally as the ruled always took the morality imposed upon them more seriously than did the rulers themselves, the deceived masses are today captivated by the myth of success even more than the successful are. Immovably, they insist on the very ideology which enslaves them. The misplaced love of the common people for the wrong which is done to them is a greater force than the cunning of the authorities.
psychology horror
Horror is beyond the reach of psychology.
people hatred might
The bourgeois ... is tolerant. His love for people as they are stems from his hatred of what they might be.
writing poetry auschwitz
Writing poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric.
organization insane destruction
Insane sects grow with the same rhythm as big organizations. It is the rhythm of total destruction.
evil mind world
Triviality is evil - triviality, that is, in the form of consciousness and mind that adapts itself to the world as it is, that obeys the principle of inertia. And this principle of inertia truly is what is radically evil.
moral categories
Intelligence is a moral category.
eye glasses splinters
The splinter in your eye is the best magnifying-glass available.
emotional democracy source
Fear and destructiveness are the major emotional sources of fascism, eros belongs mainly to democracy.
looks pleasure sinner
The gods look in pleasure on penitent sinners.
revenge mind criticism
Culture is only true when implicitly critical, and the mind which forgets this revenges itself in the critics it breeds. Criticism is an indispensable element of culture.