By Theodor W. Adorno
The Stars all the way down to Earth exhibits us a stunningly prescient Adorno. Haunted via the grotesque aspect of yankee tradition industries he used different angles supplied via every one of those 3 essays to show off the risks inherent in glossy obsessions with intake. He engages with a few of his such a lot enduring subject matters during this seminal assortment, targeting the irrational in mass culture—from astrology to new age cults, from anti-semitism to the facility of neo-fascist propaganda. He issues out that the fashionable kingdom and industry forces serve the curiosity of capital in its uncomplicated shape. Stephan Crook’s advent grounds Adorno’s arguments firmly within the current the place severe spiritual and political companies are commonplace—so regular in reality that regularly we deem them unworthy of our consciousness. part a century in the past Theodor Adorno not just regarded the risks, yet proclaimed them loudly. We didn't hear then. might be it isn't too past due to pay attention now.
“There isn't any query of the modern value and relevance of those essays. T. W. Adorno is among the nice critics of the function of irrational authoritarianism in modern society.” —Douglas Kellner
“This assortment demonstrates the ongoing relevance of Adorno’s paintings to the research and realizing of recent occasions. a super contribution to the sociology of racism, anti-Semitism and well known culture.” —Bryan S. Turner, co-editor, The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology
Read Online or Download The Stars Down to Earth and Other Essays on the Irrational in Culture (Routledge Classics) PDF
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Extra info for The Stars Down to Earth and Other Essays on the Irrational in Culture (Routledge Classics)
Example text
Their investigation points to a definite basis in certain subjective dispositions though they certainly cannot be explained altogether psychologically. Psychotic character structure may sometimes though by no means always, be involved. In view of the presupposition of psychological “susceptibility” it may be assumed that they do not manifest themselves only in the 47 48 the stars down to earth sphere of politics that is at least on the surface realistic, but can be studied in other social areas as well, or even better, although the reality factor is rarely absent even from fads which somehow pride themselves on their own irrationality.
Very often it seems as though astrology were only an authoritarian cloak while the matter itself is strongly reminiscent of a mental health column written for the trade in limited self-awareness and paternal support. The column attempts to satisfy the longings of people who are thoroughly convinced that others (or some unknown agency) ought to know more about themselves and what they should do than they can decide for themselves. It is this “mundane” aspect of astrology which particularly invites social and psychological interpretation.
They participate in them largely through the mediation of magazines and newspapers, the personal advice of professional astrologers being too expensive, and frequently accept such information as reliable sources of advice rather than pretend to have any personal basis for their belief. The type of people we are concerned with take astrology for granted, much like psychiatry, symphony concerts or political parties; they accept it because it exists, without much reflection, provided only that their own psychological demands somehow correspond to the offer.