Middlebury

JWST1019A-W22

Philosophy of Fascism

Philosophy of Fascism in the work of Adorno, Arendt and Benjamin
Was the previous US administration fascist? Was it comparable to 20th century European fascism? Upon finding refuge in America, several German-Jewish philosophers sought to understand the terms fascism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. They focused on morality, participation and subjectivity rather than the figure of the dictator. They asked if this could happen in America. We will begin with a survey of contemporary debates and then read selections from Adorno/Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947), Adorno, The Authoritarian Personality (1950), and Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951). We will conclude with Benjamin’s Thesis on the Philosophy of History (1940).
Course Reference Number (CRN):
11628
Subject Code:
JWST
Course Number:
1019
Section Identifier:
A

Course

JWST 1019

All Sections in Winter 2022

Winter 2022

JWST1019A-W22 Lecture (Jacobson)