Essay Question:
According to “thoughts on religion” by Horkheimer and “Education After Auschwitz ” by Adorno… What does Horkheimer mean by the notion that there is “no compensation” for the horrors of the past (“Thoughts,” p. 130)? What kind of redemptive justice is possible, according to Horkheimer? Why is it not enough to just “preach love” in order to recover from barbarism, for Adorno (“Education,” p.202)?
Essay Context:
Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno, both key figures of the Frankfurt School, grapple deeply with the challenges of reckoning with the horrors of history—especially the Holocaust—and envisioning a path forward.
Essay Structure:
- Explore Horkheimer’s argument that no material or historical compensation can rectify the suffering of Holocaust victims (Thoughts on Religion, p. 130).
- Explain how Horkheimer critiques secular and materialist frameworks for addressing historical injustice.
- Discuss Horkheimer’s turn to metaphysical or religious ideas of redemption.
- Explain his belief in justice as a transcendental hope, beyond human history.
- Analyze Adorno’s critique of abstract moral exhortations in Education After Auschwitz (p. 202).
- Highlight how “preaching love” ignores the systemic and structural roots of barbarism.
- Explain Adorno’s call for critical education to dismantle the conditions that enable barbarism.
- Focus on the role of autonomy, critical self-reflection, and resistance to authoritarianism in Adorno’s framework.
What does Horkheimer mean by the notion that there is “no compensation” for the horrors of the past (“Thoughts,” p. 130)? What kind of redemptive justice is possible, according to Horkheimer? Why is it not enough to just “preach love” in order to recover from barbarism, for Adorno (“Education,” p.202)?