Horkheimer and Adorno – Juliette or Enlightenment and Morality

In this episode, Barry and Mike discuss "Excursis two: Juliette or Enlightenment and Morality," from Horkheimer and Adorno's "The Dialectic of Enlightenment." Here Adprno and Horkheimer argue that, despite their many differences, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant and the French libertine writer the Marquis de Sade shared one idea in common: they both believed that Enlightenment reason could be wholly separated from moral concerns. In doing so, they both made it intellectually respectable to subordinate morality to power and thus indirectly led to the rise of fascism.

We had to leave a lot of ideas from this chapter on the table to keep the episode at a manageable length. There' s a lot more here to discuss: as always, we welcome your comments!