Next Week

The tutorial question for next week is:

What is the ‘dialectic of Enlightenment’ and what are its main characteristics? What ‘myth of Enlightenment’ are Adorno and Horkheimer challenging in this article? What and whose purpose might that myth serve? What might be at stake in maintaining it as the foundation of western rationality? Whose myth is it?

Keep in mind some things:

1) The article refers heavily to the Odyssey, which by now you should know like the back of your hand.
2) Read it critically: by now you should have enough theoretical background on myth, progress and interests in myth formation (courtesy of Sian's lectures) to spot the subtext and the expectations that underlie the paper.
3) Keep in mind who the guys who wrote that paper are (Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer) hence what they might be aiming at.

Above you see two pics of the two in question: Horkheimer above and Adorno below (what is it with bald philosophers?)