Adorno and Foucault: Unsystematic Way of Doing Philosophy

Abstract

System is a problematic aspect in Adorno and Foucault's philosophies. The idea of a closed framework of concepts does not fit into a scenario with thoughts strongly associated with the notion of criticism as a privileged mode of analysis. Both Adorno and Foucault abhor the conception of a high, finished and systematic theory that purports to explain all things that exists in the world. Adorno and Foucault prefer to take the opposite way and adopt a posture of uncertainty against that which is given aprioristically by an absolute ideal system. While Adorno reacts to the great systems with a kind of radicalization of the critique, Foucault presents types of analysis that, instead of taking a transcendent inspiration, focuses its attention on what happens in the scope of the historicity. In view of this, the central thesis of this research consists in an approximation between these two philosophies in relation to their unsystematic character. Key words: Foucault, Adorno, Critical Theory, Critique, Archaeology, Geneaology, Systems

System is a problematic aspect in Adorno and Foucault's philosophies. The idea of a closed framework of concepts does not fit into a scenario with thoughts strongly associated with the notion of criticism as a privileged mode of analysis. Both Adorno and Foucault abhor the conception of a high, finished and systematic theory that purports to explain all things that exists in the world. Adorno and Foucault prefer to take the opposite way and adopt a posture of uncertainty against that which is given aprioristically by an absolute ideal system. While Adorno reacts to the great systems with a kind of radicalization of the critique, Foucault presents types of analysis that, instead of taking a transcendent inspiration, focuses its attention on what happens in the scope of the historicity. In view of this, the central thesis of this research consists in an approximation between these two philosophies in relation to their unsystematic character. Key words: Foucault, Adorno, Critical Theory, Critique, Archaeology, Geneaology, Systems