Is Wrong Life All That Is Possible? Adorno and Aquinas on Ethics

Author

Benjamin Hampshire

Defense Date

12-4-2014

Graduation Date

Fall 2014

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Philosophy

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

James Swindal

Committee Member

Therese Bonin

Committee Member

Lambert Zuidervaart

Keywords

Critical Theory, Ethics, Theodor Adorno, Thomas Aquinas, Wrong Life

Abstract

Theodor Adorno's ethical thought is encapsulated in his famous aphorism "Wrong life cannot be lived rightly." This dissertation explicates this alarming declaration, revealing the metaphysical, epistemological, and anthropological analyses that place Adorno's ethical thought into this intractable predicament. I argue that Adorno's ethical thought, while of absolute importance and worthy of consideration, can be moved forward through an engagement with the ethical thought of Thomas Aquinas, toward the possibility of right life.

Format

PDF

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Hampshire, B. (2014). Is Wrong Life All That Is Possible? Adorno and Aquinas on Ethics (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/623