: Reason has shifted from a tool for understanding to a tool for control. It views nature and humans purely in terms of their utility and calculable value.
Co-authored with Max Horkheimer in 1944, this work argues that the Enlightenment—originally intended to liberate humanity from fear and myth through reason—has "reverted to mythology". Theodor Adorno : Key Concepts
: Enlightenment becomes "totalitarian" by refusing to tolerate anything that cannot be measured or quantified, effectively silencing unique, non-conforming experiences. The Culture Industry : Reason has shifted from a tool for
Theodor Adorno (1903–1969) was a leading philosopher of the whose work serves as a "guide for the perplexed" in navigating the contradictions of modern society. His primary motivation was addressing human suffering by critiquing how modern reason has paradoxically led to new forms of domination and "damaged life". The Dialectic of Enlightenment The Dialectic of Enlightenment