La double dialectique du concept de l’aliénation: spiritualiste et transcendance

The double dialectic of the concept of alienation: spirituality and transcendence

Abstract

The German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno quotes in his book The Aesthetic Theory: "As much as art was marked by universal alienation and grew by it, what alienated it the least is that everything in it passed through spirit and is humanized without violence. It oscillates between ideology and what Hegel attributes to the natural domain of the mind: the truth of self-certainty. First of all, everything about art has become problematic. Adorno also questions the concept of alienation in this society. In theological reflection, the concept of alienation designates the separation of man from God. The problematic proposed is why do Adorno and Hegel evoke the concept of alienation as the center of the modern world? Do they represent this phenomenon as a spirit per se in objectivity? Why do we speak of a double dialectic? How does art become an autonomous, transcendent, and spiritual creation? In order to answer these questions, I will first dissect Adorno's understanding about the essence of art and aesthetic truth. Secondly, I will refer to Hegelian thought and the return to history and myth. Our task will also be to rely on specific examples.