Adorno's moral philosophy. Is ethics possible in a world of contradictions?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22370/rhv2025iss28.4476Keywords:
Adorno, morality, reason, passion, individualAbstract
This text shows the concept of “morality” in Adorno as a mixture between reason and passion, a tandem that, according to the German, should not be distorted. We will analyze excessive reason -appealing to Kantian morality- and excessive passion -alluding to contemporary emotivism- as two perversions equally pernicious for human beings. With the aim of tracing the consequences of these moral deviations, we will examine two cases in which this decompensated towards one of the two sides: that of Adolf Eichmann -towards an insensitive rationality- and that of Claude Eatherly -towards a thoughtless emotivism-. We will test the hypothesis that morality could be what we experience at the expense of society's evaluations. Finally, we will present the characteristics of the moral subject outlined by Adorno and compare it with his own reflections.
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