ADORNO AND THE BORDERS OF EXPERIENCE: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NONIDENTICAL FOR A 'DIFFERENT' THEORY OF BILDUNG

摘要

In this essay Christiane Thompson discusses the systematic outcomes of Theodor Adorno's philosophical work for a reworked theory of Bildung (an important term in the German tradition of philosophy and history of education). In his essay "Theory of Halbbildung," Adorno revealed the inevitable failure of Bildung, on the one hand, and the necessity of Bildung (in view of a critique of society), on the other. After having exposed this contradiction, Thompson seeks to analyze Bildung's systematic role by turning to Adorno's reflections on art and metaphysics. Adorno's concept of aesthetic experience hints at the possibility of a more genuine approach to Bildung and culture, one that makes the borders of our experience visible and, as a result, suggests a different relation to ourselves and to the world. She concludes by examining the critical dimensions of this different Bildung as well as its pedagogical relevance.