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8108 NI‘pueE anos ‘ny 60003 068 sopms uesveuy-ueauiy :Ga1S3NDaY SVH YSMOISND sud, ‘ys amen jo e9pt ou, com. Toy ‘wopy once, wou oY rei ssobeg reo} owns weOANGUON ‘onsst so} om, rumor g z 8 a AOE Araataq tawindog aureq anon Jo AUsIOATUN nea by wich ie abening loses isin rer presen" ice euch ahs enh Nt Ubemunanincecrs ren So a orteune led Pos a a eer ndantinece wenn oon an fl a cae ee agi ge Adee ps Sse a ney sts eo hs en eee ee fn Beatie fs grein Soa eo ne pie: Alona ics a ect unin ieye Simtr ea aan oe ses eth yp a A ATE coctamediacsaningbutenet Ss mar con tale TS saicaeta SF Tic Red peso ieee a or rmemas ean hatiageeestoastaa cement reregeeeta remem atin Sete aeasoneanagnne PRAXIS INTERNATIONAL Fea are oped athe Sse Oe Basil Blackwell - Oxford - England THE IDEA OF NATURAL HISTORY. by Theodor W. Adorno Allow mewo preface my remarks today by sayingthat Lam norgoingo ge a Tecra in dhe usual sense of communicating rests or presenting 2s ‘ematie statement. Rather, what {have to say wil emai othe Level of an ‘satis no more thas an atempe to take upand fursher develop the prob Tem ofthe soled Frankfur eiecussion. I recognize that many uncom plimentary things have been said shout this diacusion, but 1 am equaly are tha it approaches the problem correcy and that would be wrong {ays to begin agsn atthe beginning. Fit permitmea few words on terminology Alchough thetopicis natura histontinot concerned wth mara historyin he aditional pre-sienic sense ofthe history of nature, nor with the bistay of aati where natures the object of nawral Science. The concept of mature employed here has absolutely nothing to do with that ofthe mathematical sciences, U cannot develop im advance what nature and history will mean in he following con- text However, [do notoverstep myself say tha dhe real intention heesst0 ‘ialecically overcome the ual anthesis of nature and history. Therefore, SuheteverT operate seth the concept of nature nd hinory, no ulimate ‘etnions are meant, rather {am pursing the intention of pushing these ‘eoneeptstoa poim where they ate mediated in their appatent difference. The oneeptof naturethatistobedissolvedsone that, Tiraslated tito sand fd philosophical terminology, would come closet to the concept of ‘myth This concept is alo vague and is exact seme can no be given in pre liminary defnisons but onlyin the course of analysis. By ee meant what has always been, what as fatefully arranged predetermined being underies his “ory and peas in history: Wis substance in history, What delimited by these expressions iswhat Lean here by “nature.” The question thatariees it thar ofthe relationship of thisnaturetowhatwe understand by history where Ihatory cane that mode of conduct exablihed by tation dat scars terze ps arly by the occurance ofthe qualiatvely new: tsa movement thar dns nu play tel out mere identi, mere reproduction of what has sways bet but rather one in wich the new occur itis a movement that fins ite ue character throu what appears new wou ikero develop wh calle ea of naira history onthe basinal ananalss. oe more correc on oversew ofthe question of mology within ‘he curtent debate This requir = beginning withthe natura For the ques rae a de is kin “hata Ay Thad Hema 112 THsODOR W.ADORWO ‘ion of ontology. asics formulated at present snone other than what I mean bby"nature.”Iwilthen begin at another pointand atemprtodeveiopdhecon ‘ceptof natural history out of the problematic ofthe philosophy of history n thecourseof cussion hieconceptwillalready substantially ain te coment land concreteness. After the formulation ofthese two quetions has been Skeiched out will tempo aiculate the concept of natural history isell ‘and analyze the element by which t appear to be characterized, 1 “To consider, then frst of al che problem ofthe present ontological scar ‘ion: ifyou pursue the question of ontology as ithas been formulated in the ‘conten of socalled phenomenology and indeed especially inthe context of post Hurtin phenornenology, thats rom Schelcron, one an conce {har ie inital intention was co overcome the subjectvisic standpoint of philosophy tmeanttoreplacea philosophy thataims atthe disoltion ofall tegories of being into catgoris of thought and that believes isl able to {round all objective in cerain fundamental structures of subjectivity, by an Spproach that establishes another bind of being. a region of being that i dit ferentinprindpl,aranteubjecive,anentcregionofbeing. And ontology it tissue 90 longa the logos i to be developed from this (being Ie, indeed, he fundamental paradox ofall modern ontological thought that he ‘mean with which the atemp is made to exablishwanarubjectve cing i ‘none other than the same subjecive reason that had earlier erected the il structure of cra idealism Phenomenological ontologialUhought presents isefasan anerpt eo secure tanseubjective being by ments of autonomous reason anda lanuage since other means and another language are nota Able, Now, the ontological question of ing can be arcuate in wo forms Inone form iis the question of bn il, what since Kant st eriique, the thing in tslf, hat been pushed back beyond the reach of philovephical inquiryand then drawn back out again Atahe same tine, however, thiquer tion becomes that ofthe meaning of being. the meanngfulnes ofthe existing (Sein) or of the meaning of being as, sirnply, posit. ti precisely the ‘double frrm ofthe question that argues pewerally for the thes that am propounding. thatthe ontological question with which we ae today con ered, hold othe staring point of autonomous reason: only when feason peveeiver the reaiy that iin opposition oe as something foreign and lotto asa complex of things, hat, only when reality ino longer immediately Accesble and realy and reason have no common meaning, only then can he question ofthe meaning of being be asked aral The question of meaning Isdetermined bythe starting point of reason, but a the sme time the ques ‘Son ofthe meaning of being, the axis of the early phate of phenomenology {Sehelen, produces a broadly encompassing range of problems through is subjecuvntc origin. For this production of meaning is none ether than the insertion of subjective messing a they have been peated by subjectivity “Theinsight thatthe question ofmeaningis nothing morethan theinseron of tuljectve meaning into the exiting leds to the ers of phenomenology's frst stage, The drastic expression ofthis criss ithe obvious instaby of far ‘damental ontological categories which reason hasto experience itsaternpt tosecurean order fing Asifhas Been shown tha the factors accepted as Fandamental and meaning, a for example a Schlers work stem froma Alifleren sphere and are inno way themselves pores within being, bat have been derived from the existing and are indeed imbued with ll the Adubiousnes ofthe existing, so the whole question of being becomes nso She within phenomenology. So far a the question of meaning car sll fccurtdoes notimpltheeablshment of asphereofsignfications isolated from theempiical hat would bevalidand aways acessibe:rather the ques: tion of meaning isrealy none other than the quewon 79904 the question of that being itself propery. The expressions: meaning and signification are Embiguous in thew coments Meaning can bea wanscendent content which, lying behind being and signified by it can be developed by analysis, On the ‘ther hand, meaning ca also be the interpretation ofthe exis sl with egad to what characterizes ts being, but without this interpreted being thereby having een proven meaningfl ts therefore posible to pose the ‘queson ofthe meaning of beng asthe signiation of th catgoof beng 38 ‘arwhieh being really butthat, in ermeofthe nial question, theexsting ‘wl sur out co be not meaning, but meaningless, a is increasingly the cas today, his reversal of the question of being as occured, then the singe iia intention ofthe orginal ntlogialreveral appears, namely tha ofthe turn towards the ahittorical- This was the case with Sheers work atleast hiseaslyworktwhich has remained the more influential) where heatempeed toconsrueta heaven ofkeas on the foundation of purely ronal ution Stow hisioicl and eternal contents, that rites over and above every” ‘hing empirical and has x normative character to which the empiial allows [reeds Bat che sme time, her rare enson betace the meaningful ndessentathat es behind thehistorcallymanifeted andthe sphere of hi ton abel. nthe origins of phenomenology there va dualism of nature and history This dualism naare”inthiscontext means that which ahistorical, atonal ontological andthe orginalimention ofthe ontological reversal that cembouies, has coreced tell The queston of being nolongerhasthe igfcance of the Patonicquesion ofthe extentofthestaticand qualaively {ferenideas that sand in contrast to he exiting, the empiri, aaorma tive relationship o in a relationship of tension, Rather, the tension dieap- pears, the existing tel becomes meaning and rounding of being beyond For replaced by a project Ents) of bing as historic. happen the al word ibe seainason of ne the are 8 woh 2 fat sant scant caeak onectsekepee as dgne Pret) Sot ws ci ee Wa hee, oh p29 Tee ‘Thisdisplacestheproblemand forthemoment, atleast, theissues dividing ‘ontology and historicism apparently disappear. Fom the perspective of hig tory, of historical crim, ontology seems to be either a merely formal Framework that has nothing to say show the content of history and can be arbiaily se up around the concrete, oi the Schlerian for of rates ‘ontology, it appears as the arbitrary production of absolutes ut of inne, historical facts which, perhaps forideologal purposes af raved tothe level ‘ofeternal and universal values, From dhe ontological point of view the prob lemisustthereverseandtisthisanichese that has dominted our Frans discussions: according othe ontlogi all radially historical though all ‘hough that aims a reducing content exclusively to hisorcal conditions, ‘must presupposea project ofbeing by hich history already gven asa stuc tae of beings only within the famework of such a projec the Nixie ‘onganiation of panicular phenomena and contents in tny way posible. Now ihe mostrecentturof phenomenology, ane may sleall that has ‘aried out a correction at this point by eliminating the pu ansihesi of hie ‘ory and being By on the one hand renouncing the Platonic henten of Wess andonthe otherby, in observing being regardingiaslif alse sasis an for ‘malism have been eliminated. Forthe projec (Entwar) appearso aban the {ullnes ofthe elements ofbeingand even the suspicion ofthe wansformation of the accidental into the absolute dieappear History itself in sts mos xtreme agation, has become the basic ontological scare, Atthe sane time, historical thought iself appears to have undergone a fundamental reversal Is reduced oa philosophiallybaved structure of histricy aya fundamental quality of human existence (Daven. This sructute s expont ble for here being any history in dhe fret place without, however, that whieh history i: being se up in opposition oft as finished, feed, and foreign ‘bjectThisisthe pointthat the Frankfurt dsewssonhssreached and wher ‘may begin co introduce eal themes, appears tome thatthe starting point hat we ave arived at hereand hat unifies the ontological and historical question ikese fas maser the concrete isues or does so only by mong its own loge and by icon Poratingatitscontent themes that donot aecessarly desivefrom the outed Drinciple. will demonstrate this with ead to just wo pos, Frstofalleven this projet islimited togeneral categories The problem of historical contingency can ot be mastered by the eategry of hiner Ose ‘ansetupa general structural category fle, bifone testo interpret apa ‘cular pehnomenon, for example the French Revolution, though one as indeed find in cevery posible clement of his strectate of, for {hat the past returns and is taken up and one can verily the meaning ofthe spontaneity that originates in man, discover causal context, ete, tis sever, theless imposible relate the fatcity ofthe French Revolution ints move cxaremetacval being to such categories. On the contrary. nthe ull rend ofthe material one wll find a sphere of faccty" that canner be explained ‘Thisisofcoursenoc myown discovery, burhas long since been demonstated ihn the Framework of ontological discussion Btithasnotbeen previously funcated so sharply, or rater, has een worked over in an eapeient {Shin al faci tha wl oro tow, rim the omcogi projet i Pied into one category. that of contingency, of the acetal, and this Eaxegor is absorbed by the projet at determination ofthe hist However logically consistent thismay be, also ncudes the admission that theatemptiomasertheempircal has mined. Atte same me tistrein thetheoroffersaschemaoraneturihnte question ofonslgy- This inthe nm towards uutlogy. {inean nothing ese than thatthe atempe of neo-ontloel thought co come to erm wth the unteachabliy ofthe mpi cotaly operas according to one schemn precy wheres element aso dso at determinations of thought and catos be made wanspaent, but rather Fe. tins its pure therenesn, precy ahi poi the estan ofthe pheno an is ansormed ita a univer concep an their sian sch endowed with ontological vale. tis the sume with Heidegger's concep of ‘ring towards death awe arith he cone of ator olf The sc ture o historic, nthe neo onlay fermion ofthe problem, only ‘fersan gparen soltion wo the prablem of theeconcllaton of nur and Inston ven hough story iacknowedged to bandas phenom ‘on is ootlogel determinations or onologieimerpreation fn ain because tin transiguted directly into ontology Thisisthetaefor Heeger fcr whom history understood aran all embracing sescare of beings “suivalen this own omalogy This the bas of such ecb sitet ab tha of history and histone which contain sehing but qe of being thathavebeen leaned from human extend wansposedino the spre ‘tonlogy by being substacted from the exsing and transformed in ontlegical determinations, sds for the interpret ofthat which bas {il oy beng repeated. This element of ttlogy spt de tothe com ‘Stench ing for raters ecearyembeded intone {question rh which holds noel endeos, ut Beaune of aon {Farting uti unable wong terre ef a hat is nae, 2 produce ond intemal related, the arg poi ote east “hiseiteseaplanation, fhereisapathatlendsfarher Shen icant snlybrdunbvsted by 4revson of te queson "Ofcourse this reson tot ony be applied othe problem of history, but also othe problem of tneo-ontlogy ive Aleat some nication may begiven here why appears tomethatisprolem sem ft fata the eli stag po has tot been abandoned even by 1 nontlopealthoughe specie neo ‘tology is characterized by fe «men that owes oils, “The fist isthe definition of tiv encompassing whole sri-vs the par sculares included in noi ger hed to be a systematic whole bu tater a stractral whol, 4 suctral unky or tui. Im conceiving the posnbilofencompaningal rei ambagvouly, xen ony nse {hee dai implicate who combines even exisng under this sowcurehatheghtand the power olnow adequately dheexitngin il and absorb tint the form The moment that this claim can no longer be imate, iebecomesimponnieo tak sbrarasracural hole Thoow tthe Wntetsoftheneworology se ucaiecttom har havent ‘he mos recent trn in phenomenology, would be ai, resaey sak ‘aortic butratherananemprsosouce the rata element inset ova dr hago fife hmaks, wre nomose eee rational content ar ered no philosophy hat founded onthe principle of autonomy, orf philsephy no longer sumer shatreatiyisadeqat scene tony need to poimeourbscnshiocegy lke Schopenhauer cam oi iatoalom byw her wy da woe adherence tthe fanaa theme of rane ease Pees transcendental bec Tomy min tharos the pout _an idealism with irrational content, - "he seconl element the empha on posi in conta eis Actually it is this problem of the relationship of possibility and reality that pereonedas thereat ical conten one onli dc) ‘tee cetercnoe atte poston wnt onal insisted within utc aed tna he pen be cfeingat east takes printy over the subsumed igs cena ay befiedinasanafterBoushtandwhentdorsntisujectocrcen ea iellanenn heparan the content of he ei of pure season te anh of pongo ‘cli sone other than ht fhe gard mares soca Sa pn mult This ston of nero tae ater nen Noronl explains formalin, the snansblegenrliyaiseneores ‘hich acy can otconorm butaaleothe key ihe problemen Sry Henge shri sale o moveinacie ticongconceg tener it inthe proper fashion Tam inne toate wi Re Be Powphy ato enemigos {yea sha eng wich determine rime sts ony aks ‘learn theactofinerpretaion te lement through which inept ‘such Thetausogaltendeney ostoee can onhbecented seekers Aid idealist heme fey. cha son in the absentee tha shire by he sajecne cept haumly hehehe, that haben subsumed bythe subj cage ainsi apnaegd ‘ohe dente wit ison Big conform othe egoncrealeech hsorictytanpsit Thetsologappeatametsbelceseleeediner the mheal dep flange nse conauge of dca shes af the Men) of abe and jee esigers mest ete he toward Hegel seems con is imenpenn Given this eon of he problems ie sarting pin il ema to be revs We have established that the divivon ofthe wold i hate al “ptr nature anal hinon aration set by subject ae ‘nercmeand hati pace moat aes bys alata le ‘elf che concrete unity of nature and history. Acone unity however, snot fone modeled on an anithess of posible and real being. but unity devel oped from the cements ofreal being sell Theneo-ontological projeetofhis: tory only hasa chance of wining ontological dignity, of achieving an actual interpretation ofbeing fits directed notarpossbliesof being, but radially {tthe exiting self is concrete inner historical definition. Every exclusion ‘of natural sai from the historical dynamic lads wo false absolutes, every Solution ofthe historical dynamic from the wnrurpasably natural elements init leads o false spirtualiam, The achieveren ofthe neo-ontologis! for mulation ie tht shar radically emonstated the insuperable interwoven ness ofnatialand historicalelements On theosherhand, thisformulaion of the problem mustbe purged of thexdeaofanall encompassing wholeand ts necenary, ferthermore, to ciiize the separation of the real and possible fom dhe pointal ew of reality, whereasthey were previously quite disparate ‘These aren the fireplace general methodological requiermens, But much more stobe postulated. Ifthe question ofthe elation of natute and history tobe seriously posed then tonlyofler any chance of solution ft ispossible ‘eeamprlend aoa ing it mot extn ira determina he mat tne ar natal eng often pose comprehend nature sn isting threes tet madly nel ar natere Team longer spl amar of ‘conceptualizing the fas of history a natural facta nctusvly under the category of historicity, but rather wo reuansform the srutate of inne Pisco evens ito a sructure of natural evens. No being underlying oF ‘siding within historical being elf ito be understood as ontological, that {sas natural being. The retransformation of concrete history into dialectical ature isthe askof the ontological reorientation ofthe philoxophy of history the idea of eatualhistory. Igo acknowo the question ofthe philosophy ofhistorythathasaleady ead tothe consracion of the concept of natural history. The concept did nal fom heaven, Rather i ha te binding identity inthe contest of historic ‘Philosophical work on pardcular materia ill now above all on aesthesc ‘materi The simplest way to give an dea ofthis type of ioral conception ‘nature i oct the sources in which the concept of natural history org {nates Lam elerring to the works of Georg Lakes and Walter Benjamin, In ‘he Thor ote Nerd Lukscr applied concept thatleadsinthisdirection, that bofasceond nature Theframeworkoftheconceptof second nature, as Lakses ‘west umodeedonagenera historco-phlorophial image of meaningful and ameaningles worl (an umediate world anda alienated world ol com modes) and heattempesto peewee his alienated world. He allthis world ‘ating! by man, ye tor him, the word of convention. "Where no Sn ve snestly given, the stares thatthe spirit the process of tpecoming human findsamongssisnas the scene and substrate of activity loge ter eidentenrootednes st supra-peranal ideal neces: hey are simply exient, peas powerful perhaps fra, but they neither carey the ‘consecration of the absolute no are sey the natural containers forthe over- Mowing inwardnes of the world. They foray the word of convention, a world from whose allembracing power only the innermost recesses af the soul ate safe a world thas presen everywhere in boundless muitpicy and whose "crit fulness, both in becoming and in being, is necessarily evident othe cognizant subject. Buforallislawfulnessthisworlé suppliesetheramean- ing forthe subject in search ofa goal nor sensuous immediacy a materi or the acting rubjec. Thisword ies second nature: ke theft ~"Tast ature” for Lulaes is hewise alienated nature, nature inthe sense ofthe naturals ences — "it can only be defined a8 the embodiment of well now yet ‘meaningless necesesand thereforeit is ungrarpableand ualzowablein its cual substance This fac ofa word of convention asitishistrially pro: ‘duced, thie word of esranged things that cannot be decoded but encounters tasas cipher, isthe aing point of the question with which Tam concerned here. From the perspective of the philosophy of history the problem of ‘natural history presets tselfin the rat place asthe question of how tis pos "leo Know and inerprethiraienaed, fied, dead worl. Lukas already perceived this problem s foreign ousandapuzzletous. fl should succeed {giving you amotion ofthe idea of natural story you would st ofall have toexperience something ofthe damage shock tha this question portend Natural history is not aaymhesis Of natural and historical methods, but 2 change of perspective. The passage in which Lukies comes losesto this com ‘eption nansas follows: "The second natureof uiman constuctehas nog ‘a subvanliny, its forms ae too rigid to adap terselves tothe symbol ‘teating moment the content ofits ase too gly defined ever o fee itself foam those elements that in Iie poetry mon ive rise to esac impulses these impulses, indeed, ive so exclusively by the grace of laws and the infact so lise valency of sensual existence independent of them, that tnithout tem they would collapec nto nothing. This natures not mute,cor porealand foreign tthe senses ike Fistmacure:itisa pete estranged com plovolmeaningthacisnolongerable to awaken inwardnens isa charne-house ‘Stroted intenoritesThissecond nature could onybebroughthackeolf, if ther bya metaphysical act of reavakening dhe sptial clement that created ‘or maintained mits earlier or ideal exatence, bu could never be exper fenced by ander interiors” “The problem ofthis awakening, which Lukicegrans to bea metaphysical possibly, the problera hat determines whats here understood by natural Fistory. Lakdes envisioned the metamorphosis ofthe historical qua past into nature: peared history snatre,orthe petrified if of mareisamere prod: tctof historical development. The refeenceto the charnel howe nchades the element of the cipher everything must mean something. just wha however mus fire be extacied. Lukes can only think of hischamel house ological resurrection, in at exhatological context ners ofa Geng iF Tae fe N an. Ana Boa Ca waTonee stony 119 Acxpmin mars the dcieuig iio ation ft po kemofnatrachnory ihe ough resuneciomof sod oss Sintniecacnceno nitecoetemesdrate arco aioe Slinepreaion Pilouplyannacecettanes etn cory dy ulin up treme afneowsen sToeaphon es eed capaho pags ton Bjorn ae py eens fe Sa ce peas Gen ford cbse bee take Tn eee Sleeved Sor sv mal edasencs df ane tid he irate prcaion menpisetacg toon Scan poof memos Renee one Rene a Sphere adnan git con becouse orc hs itnpage of wamicne "Te degen pun ee sry ee Sent pcan haere te Te La th isto mason ein hora sch herb ne es testers ese ttn phan new eee ery nares hy pce nal ino can ate crclyfomle intemsot sere srecnren but cnly eimcprensastone nee Bp Sovritr apr no ompone af ee sein ee Migoraluactinacstenaligvoranencetigntes ae ec, ‘pe non bowers egy ca oe ena ae ete “expression.” Allegory i usually taken to mean the presentation ofaconeeptas imlmigeandtecae tpbeiedaneeaa eae ee taigeey ier hearse ee punta ticxpesion ha apt a eee sting bttinenelohip Thence tino Ataue ian hore lafontip recone e “andiameming 'tmcene Meee eeatte ioral beat tthe egrealncene eee Sign hon oigatenin Soon Saeaeeae seen epee aries cee omen Hae lentnar nt a ncn Scie ches ame Sitch aa niese ermine Sharer emer meee ire ane eee semsea cme “epee: heat ene relaionsip of aymbol and allogry may be incsvely and formaly dee Mined by cane ofthe doce ctgoryof tine whow nroducion ao ths [per of semiotics was the rea romansc insight of thee thinkers Whereas inohe symbol wih the gloncatonof dea and desicon,thesranaigued faceofnature reveals itl eetingly nthe gheoredemption,inallegory the tserver it confronted wit the acs ppt” of history, a peteied prmorallandsape Excything about hater thay, Geom the begining has Ibeeuintinately, rows unseen sexpressedinatace—orraterin {eats head. And although auch ashing acs allenic feedom of ‘ipreron, ll eral proportion, all ht tan, nevetles ne only Shenaurcofhumanexitencein general bus thebingraphieal historic of individ enunciated inthis igure of the most eareme subjugation © turin the form fade hit ear of the alogorcal vison othe Baroque, secular exposition of history asthe pasion ofthe worl ison ‘reaming nthe uaons oft pronation. The geste the agifetion, the fever the subjuyation to deny for deh digs mow deeply the Jagged Alemarcaion ine between ys and signification.” What s the meaning iereafstansionce™and“origina history of sifcaion?" I xnnos dev tp thee concep in tradtinal echo What eaves ofan eeeialy

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