TÉO HALBEN GUERRA LEAL

Course
Master's degree
Research title
BETWEEN THE NATURAL AND THE SOCIAL: THE CONCEPT OF SECOND NATURE IN THEODOR W. ADORNO
Research abstract

The aim of this research is to analyse the concept of second nature in the work of Theodor W. Adorno. The objective is to explore the epistemological consequences of the concept in its critical sense, as well as to outline the differences between the use of this concept in Adorno's texts and those of Hegel and Lukács. Consequently, it is necessary to analyse "The Idea of Natural History" more closely, weighing it up with other Adornian texts - especially his "Negative Dialectics", in which he takes up much of what he elaborated in his youth. Nor should a study that explores elements of the Adornian critique of Heidegger be overlooked, since the elaboration of a dialectic of nature and history inevitably involves a confrontation with Heideggerian philosophy. Furthermore, we hope to gain a greater understanding of Adorno's approaches and distances in relation to overcoming modern dualism - which separates the natural from the cultural - present in contemporary thought. Lastly, the intention is to build a framework that deals with the concept of second nature - from how Adorno arrived at it to its appropriation for the critique of capitalist society.

Graduate Advisor
Virginia Helena Ferreira da Costa