Theme 2 enlightenment

1.     What is Enlightenment?

The purpose of enlightenment was to reform society using reason and advance knowledge by scientific methods. Enlightenment can be described as a set of mind, and is meant to describe the world with knowledge and facts instead of myths and religion. However, Adorno and Horkheimer says that the enlightenment itself is a myth since science cannot describe the whole world to us.

2. What is the meaning and function of “myth” in Adorno and Horkheimer’s argument?

A myth is according to Adorna and Horkheimer the knowledge that existed before enlightenment. Myths are a way of describing the world with beliefs and superstition, instead of knowledge and facts.

2.     What are the “old” and “new” media that are discussed in the Dialectic of Enlightenment?

Old media is something with focus on art and creativity, without having money and business in mind. An example of old media is the phone. New media is an industry that only focuses on making money and business and nothing on art. Example of this is the TV.

3.     What is meant by “culture industry”? What is the relationship between mass media and “mass deception”, according to Adorno and Horkheimer?

Culture industry is what mass production has done to culture. It describes the trend that makes a majority people consume the same types of media such as movies, magazines and television shows without critical evaluation. Since there are a few people controlling what reaches the audience, they can easily control what kind of culture people get exposed to and what is set as a standard; mass deception. Choosing what people get exposed to leads to people creating false needs and more consumption. Adorno and Horkheimer criticize the culture industry, saying that the industry controls humanity in the same way as a dictator would do