Lectures on Negative Dialectics by Theodor W. Adorno

Author:Theodor W. Adorno
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780745635095
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2014-09-11T15:40:02+00:00

9 See Benjamin's commentary on the letter Kant's brother had written to him: There is no doubt that it breathes true humanity. But like all perfection, it also says something about the conditions and limits of that to which it gives such consummate expression. Conditions and limits of humanity? Certainly, and it appears that these can be perceived from our vantage point just as clearly as they stand out in their turn, against the conditions of medieval life. … Although this interdependence of a bare, narrow existence and true humanity is manifested nowhere more clearly than in Kant … this letter from his brother shows how deeply the vital feeling which was raised to awareness in the philosopher's writings was rooted in the people [Volk]. In short, whenever there is talk of humanity, we should not forget the narrowness of the middle-class room into which the Enlightenment shone. (Walter Benjamin, ‘German Men and Women’, Selected Writings, vol. 3: 1935–1938, p. 171)

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.