Adorno and Horkheimers Dialectic of Enlightenment Essay -- Mythology

Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment 'Myth is already enlightenment; and enlightenment reverts to mythology' (Dialectic of Enlightenment XVI) Adorno and Horkheimer's obscure and nihilistic text Dialectic of Enlightenment (DoE) is an attempt to answer the question 'why mankind, instead of entering a truly human condition, is sinking into a new kind of barbarism' (DoE, p.xi). The result is a totalising critique of modernity; a diagnosis of why the Enlightenment project failed with no attempt to prescribe a cure. This is achieved by a historical-philosophical study of the mythic world-view of animism and anthropomorphism and the Enlightenment attempt to dissolve myth through objectification and instrumental reason. DoE also uses Homer's Odyssey as a metaphorical interpretation of this historical change, where Odysseus is the prototype of the bourgeois man. This study reveals for Adorno and Horkheimer the failure of the Enlightenment project. Enlightenment has no claim to being less a myth than the mythology it failed to escape. This new myth is defined for them by the drive to dominate nature at the expense of alienation of man from nature and from his own inner nature. They follow the appearance of the subject as it is objectified alongside nature, and is dominated with it. The subject becomes an object and his intellect becomes instrumental, and all instinct and sensory experience that fails to be productive in the pursuit of domination is repressed, man becomes mechanized. They also assert that class domination is a direct and inevitable consequence of the attempt to dominate nature, and is therefore inescapable. Background to the text. Adorno and Horkheimer, members of the Frankfurt school in Germany, wrote DoE (which was completed in 1944) while Fascism, a kind of barbarism never seen before, was threatening Europe. They viewed this as the epitome of the self-destructive nature of enlightenment, the final evidence that it would never result in 'a truly human condition'. They wrote in the introduction to DoE that 'the indefatigable self-destructiveness of enlightenment†¦requires philosophy to discard even the last vestiges of innocence in regard to the habits and tendencies of the spirit of the age' (p.xi), hence the intensity of their critique. Being part of the Frankfurt school, Adorno and Horkheimer were influenced... ...kfurt school, does not accept Adorno's solution. He believes Adorno is being too nihilistic in [continued next page] allowing no way to escape instrumental rationality. Habermas's main philosophical project has been to resolve this problem, to allow for the possibility of substantive rationality (i.e. rationality that is not aimed at power and domination but, rather, validity) and, thus, to save the project of the Enlightenment. The result is a theory of open communication that is aimed at an 'ideal speech situation', that is, at a discourse not tainted by instrumental aims. Bibliography: Theodor Adorno and Maw Horkheimer: The Dialectic of Enlightenment (Verso: London, 1997). Theodor Adorno: Negative Dialectics (Routledge: London, 1990)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jurgen Habermas: The Entwinement of Myth and Enlightenment: Re-reading Dialectic of Enlightenment, in Jay Bernstein (ed.): The Frankfurt School: Critical Assessments vol.3 (Routledge: London, 1994). Axel Honneth: The Critique of Power: Reflective Stages of Critical Social Theory (M.I.T: Boston, 1991). Gà ¶ran Therborn: The Frankfurt School, in New Left Review (ed.): Western Marxism: a Critical Reader (New Left Books: Norfolk, 1977).

Strategic Planning and Google

Google is able to achieve the perfect combination of Business, Organizational and IS strategies. Its business strategy focuses on delivering superior technology solutions coupled with a work environment that encourages innovation. Google’s IS strategy involves building state of the art applications, networks and security architecture that facilitate the flow of information throughout the organization. Google is able to balance all three aspects of the IS triangle and as a result has dominated the online search and advertising market. 1.How is Google’s mission statement related to its business strategy? Google’s primary goal is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful (mission statement). Its Business Strategy is to create applications that provide value to wide variety to consumers. By creating these applications, Google is able to provide on-demand access to huge volumes of information to consumers. 2. How does Goo gle’s information systems strategy support its business strategy? As part of its IS strategy Google has built an IT infrastructure that allows data sharing across the organization.Google also favors the use of open source software and internally developed tools to drive innovation and collaboration. Google also allows employees to choose applications according to their preferences and business needs. Google also implements network level security that allows users to maintain freedom of communication. 3. How does Google’s organizational strategy support its business strategy? Google has created a modern organization structure that encourages creative thinking instead of rigid corporate structures.Employees are encouraged to take a day from a week to explore their ideas. Google also tends to implement projects with definite goals and deadlines to ensure accountability and performance. Its work culture encourages risk taking and timely decision making. Google’s org anizational strategy tends to concentrate on practical applications of its products instead of the traditional corporate focus on controlling costs. 4. Which of Porter’s three generic strategies does Google appear to be using based on this case? Provide a rationale for your response.In my opinion, among Porters three generic Strategies, Focus is more relevant to Google. Online advertising has remained as the prime target for Google’s products. With its Android mobile products Google has applied the concepts of Differentiation focus to set itself apart from its competitors. Google has steadily maintained its status as a powerhouse by focusing on mobile and online search and advertising. 5. Using D’Aveni’s Hypercompetitive Framework, analyze Google’s strategy and the type of market disruption it has created.Google was quick to realize that its leadership in online search engine market would come under intense fire from its competitors. Google has mov ed rapidly to develop and acquire emerging technology to constantly fill its pipeline with more exciting products. Google has become the largest mobile operating system vendor and has partnered with a large number of device makers to launch cutting-edge products. Google has focused on pushing the envelope on cloud based computing and in one of the leading vendors of cloud based applications and services.

Is Satan A Hero Or Villain - 1258 Words

Is Satan a Hero or a Villain? An Analysis of Milton’s Paradise Lost The heroic qualities of Satan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost are overwhelmingly masked by his ‘satanic’ and villainous acts which qualify his character to fall into a category of villain rather than hero. Paradise Lost is an epic poem and like all epic poems, requires an epic hero with a tragic flaw. The tragic flaws of Satan are too prominent and effectual to call him an epic hero, but rather these flaws, or evil characteristics, carry any title of epic hero which he may have formerly obtained to the ninth circle of hell. In other words, the possibility of Satan to be a hero within Milton’s perception of Genesis chapter three is completely obscene in the face of his overwhelming hate and disdain for the light. But how are these flaws, referred to as evil characteristics from here on, applicable to Paradise Lost and what are the flaws? Essentially, flaws can be stemmed from motivations, and for Milton’s poem, the motivations of Satan and his evil ch aracteristics are one in the same. The protagonist of every story, in this case Satan who is more of an antagonist, has motives that are quite relatable to many people. Satan reveals these motives all in the span of 28 lines in Book I of Paradise Lost. Motivations lead people to do things, such as in the case of Milton himself. What caused him to write this acclaimed poem? It was surely a type of motivation or conviction. As is the case with Satan in the story,Show MoreRelatedSatan As A Hero And A Villain916 Words   |  4 PagesSatan as a Hero and a Villain (Analysis of Satan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost) John Milton created Paradise Lost out of twelve books of well constructed poetry. A poem depicting and going into detail of the story of Adam and Eve, man’s creation and fall. The poem focuses on the actions of one particular character, Satan. Milton introduces his readers to Satan in Book I as a hero, trying to get revenge against God for throwing him out of Heaven, being banished to Hell. But as Satan carries on withRead MoreParadise Lost: Satan Hero or Villain?2668 Words   |  11 PagesSatan: Epic Hero or Villain? John Milton wrote one of the greatest epic poems of all time when he wrote Paradise Lost in 1667. The book tells about mans creation and fall while detailing characters and the plot beyond what the Bible taught. One of these characters is Satan, which is one of the most argumented, controversial, and popular characters in the history of literature. The reason for controversary is the unclarity of whether or not Satan is a hero or a villain. He contains manyRead MoreEssay on John Miltonss Paradise Lost: Is Satan a Villain or Hero?2009 Words   |  9 Pagesof whether Satan is the hero or the villain of John Milton’s Paradise Lost has been largely debated by scholars over the centuries. The ones who believe Satan is the villain of the epic, more commonly known as the Anti-Satanists, tend to argue that Satan is too foolish to be considered a hero, as his â€Å"hostility to Almighty power† is ultimately a futile endeavour (as God’s power is omnipotent) (Carey, 135). C.W. Lewis, also an anti-Satanist, goes as far as to claim that to â€Å"admire Satan, then, is toRead MoreJohn Miltons Paradise Lost863 Words   |  4 Pagesprotagonist focus on Satan. The story is told largely with Satan being favorably portrayed and God having little presence other than cursing things, which convinces the audience that Satan’s view of God as a tyrant may not be too far off. Still, Satan is por trayed as the villain of the story. However, he has characteristics of a classical hero; including flaws that make the audience relate to and feel sympathy for him. By using part of the black-and-white Genesis story which paints Satan as evil and juxtaposingRead MoreThe Paradox Of The Hero1484 Words   |  6 Pagesof the Hero in Paradise Lost What exactly is a hero? A common pedestrian might say a hero is someone who goes out of their way to help people. A child may say that a hero is someone who performs valiant deeds. Merriam-Webster Dictionary itself has 3 definitions of a hero: â€Å"a person who is admired for great or brave deeds or acts,† â€Å"a person who is greatly admired† and â€Å"the chief male [or female] in a story, play, movie etc.† (Merriam Webster Dictionary). In a literary situation, a hero is definedRead MoreAnalysis Of John Orwell s Paradise Lost 882 Words   |  4 Pagesof epics to justify the ways of God to humanity. Paradise Lost includes most if not all of the conventions of epics, however several conventions in particular are the ones that best communicate Milton s message. The first convention is a legendary hero who embodies the values of a civilization. Adam and Eve are our heroes in this story. While Adam and Eve are the only people in their civilization, they still e mbody the Christian notion that humans are weak, sinful, and require God s assistanceRead MoreDemonic Heroism : The Psychoanalysis Of Satan Essay1640 Words   |  7 PagesHeroism: The Psychoanalysis of Satan The epic poem Paradise Lost recounts the creation of life through the actions of Satan, also known as Lucifer, with god and his newer children: Adam and Eve. In the first half of Milton’s epic poem, Satan is first viewed a hero; courageous, a leader of fallen angels. He is prideful and determined in pursuing what he believes to be true which is why Satan rose off the lake of fire and challenges God while he delivered his heroic speech. Satan went on about how â€Å"to beRead MoreThe Role of Satan in Paradise Lost1455 Words   |  6 PagesThe Role of Satan in â€Å"Paradise Lost† John Miltons epic â€Å"Paradise Lost† is one that has brought about much debate since its writing. This epic tells the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, although from a different perspective than what most people usually see. Milton tells the story more through the eyes of Satan, whom most people usually consider the ultimate villain. The way in which Satan is portrayed in this story has caused speculation as to whether Satan is actually a hero in this situationRead More Analysis of Satans Speech in in John Miltons Paradise Lost1010 Words   |  5 PagesHeaven itself. In these first 44 lines, Satan is clearly established as epic hero, but at the same time is theologically/morally denounced by the speaker.    This section of the poem opens by establishing Satans position of power and prestige:    High on a throne of royal state, which far Outshone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind, Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand Showrs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold, Satan exalted sat, (II. 1-5).    TheseRead MoreParadise Lost Analysis1295 Words   |  6 Pagesthrough the eyes of Satan, whom most people usually consider the ultimate villain. The way in which Satan is portrayed in this story has caused speculation as to whether Satan is actually a hero in this situation. He certainly has heroic qualities throughout the story, yet still is ultimately responsible for Adam and Eves sin. Satan can easily be classified as a hero in this story, as well as the main antagonist, depending on the viewpoint of the reader. Milton introduces Satan as an important character