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Quote by Theodor Adorno

Work

Dialectic of Enlightenment

This book explores the ways in which Enlightenment values have shaped contemporary culture, analyzing the interplay between reason and irrationality in the evolution of human thought. more

Author

Theodor Adorno
Theodor Adorno

Theodor Adorno was a German sociologist, philosopher, and musicologist. He is renowned for his critical theory, co-developed with Max Horkheimer and other members of the Frankfurt School. Adorno's research focused on the analysis of modern society, culture, and the influence of mass culture on individuals. more

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“The culture industry perpetually cheats its consumers of what it perpetually promises. The promissory note which, with its plots and staging, it draws on pleasure is endlessly prolonged; the promise, which is actually all the spectacle consists of, is illusory: all it actually confirms is that the real point will never be reached, that the diner must be satisfied with the menu.”

RealCulturePleasureIndustryPromiseDrawsNotesSatisfiedConsumersPlotCheatIllusoryMenusDinersStaging
Book:Dialectic of Enlightenment
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“The creed of evil has been, since the beginnings of highly industrialized society, not only a precursor of barbarism but a mask of good. The worth of the latter was transferred to the evil that drew to itself all the hatred and resentment of an order which drummed good into its adherents so that it could with impunity be evil.”

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Book:Minima Moralia: Reflections on a Damaged Life
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“The phrase, the world wants to be deceived, has become truer than had ever been intended. People are not only, as the saying goes, falling for the swindle; if it guarantees them even the most fleeting gratification they desire a deception which is nonetheless transparent to them. They force their eyes shut and voice approval, in a kind of self-loathing, for what is meted out to them, knowing fully the purpose for which it is manufactured. Without admitting it they sense that their lives would be completely intolerable as soon as they no longer clung to satisfactions which are none at all.”

PeopleIfsWorldWantKindSelfWould BeEyeDesirePurposeFallForceVoiceKnowingSatisfactionDeceptionPhrasesGuaranteesApprovalFleetingDeceivedTransparentGratificationLoathingAdmittingSelf Loathing
Book:The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture
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