Benjamin: Philosophy, Aesthetics, HistoryGary Smith Walter Benjamin (1896-1940) has been called by Hannah Arendt the "greatest critic of the century." While an increasing number of Anglo-American literary critics draw upon Benjamin's writings in their own works, their colleagues in the philosophical community remain relatively unacquainted with his legacy. In the European intellectual world, by contrast, Benjamin's critical epistemological program, his philosophies of history and language, and his aesthetics have long since become part of philosophical discourse. The present collection of articles, many of which were contained in earlier versions in the Winter 1983 special issue of the journal The Philosophical Forum, initiates the project of establishing Benjamin's importance to philosophy. A balance of original work by Benjamin and important commentary on his works, this volume includes the crucial chapter from Benjamin's magnum opus The Arcades Project, his "Program of the Coming Philosophy," and "Central Park," as well as essays by leading scholars (including Theodor W. Adorno, Leo Lowenthal, and Rolf Tiedemann) that treat single philosophical themes and relate his ideas to those of other thinkers such as Gadamer, Goodmann, and Rosenzweig. Gary Smith's introduction to the volume provides an extremely useful and sophisticated entrée for readers unaccustomed to the breadth of Benjamin's philosophical allusions, as well as an informative summation of the contents of the volume. This book will be of interest to philosophers, literary theorists, art historians, anthropologists, and other social scientists. |
Contents
1 On the Program of the Coming Philosophy Walter Benjamin | 1 |
2 Benjamin the Scrivener Richard Sieburth | 13 |
3 Translators Introduction to N Leigh Hafrey and Richard Sieburth | 38 |
4 N Re the Theory of Knowledge Theory of Progress Walter Benjamin | 43 |
5 Progress Theodor W Adorno | 84 |
Walter Benjamin and the Problem of Meaning in Art Jennifer Todd | 102 |
7 Benjamins Dialectic of Art and Society | 126 |
A Reading of The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility Joel Snyder | 158 |
9 Historical Materialism or Political Messianism? An Interpretation of the Theses On the Concept of History Rolf Tiedemann | 175 |
10 Experience and Materialism in Benjamins Passagenwerk Richard Wolin | 210 |
11 Walter Benjamin and Franz Rosenzweig Stéphane Moses | 228 |
In Memory of Walter Benjamin Leo Lowenthal | 247 |
Walter Benjamin in English A Bibliography of Translations Gary Smith | 260 |
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Adorno aesthetics allegory Arcades Project artistic artworks artworld audience aura Baudelaire becomes Benjamin's thought bourgeois Brecht century concept of experience Concept of History concept of progress consciousness contemporary critical critique culture dialectical image doctrine dream elements Engels Epic Theater epistemological essay expression fascism Frankfurt Franz Rosenzweig Fredric Jameson Gershom Scholem Hannah Arendt historical materialism historical materialist historico-philosophical Horkheimer human Ibid ical idea of progress Illuminations interpretation jamin Jewish Kafka Kant Kant's Kantian knowledge language later Lukács Marx Marxism means messianic metaphysics nature neo-Kantianism notion object Origin of German Paris passage past perception philosophy of history photography political possible praxis present principle production question radical reality reception redemption reference Reflections relation reproduction revolutionary Rosenzweig sense social society Suhrkamp Theodor W theology theory of experience thesis things thinking tion tradition trans translation Trauerspiel truth universal utopian volume Walter Benjamin