ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author examines the rational coherence and ethical stability of each of the philosophies of freedom through Theodor W. Adorno's technique of immanent critique. From a philosophical perspective, the emergence of the modern ethos of freedom is marked by a critique of rationalist metaphysics and its theistically grounded claim to moral truth. With the dismissal of any transcendent, heteronomous moral authority, modern philosophy confronts the task of articulating a practical reason adequate to the new ethos of freedom. While the technical capacity of modern society already holds the potential for producing a community of free individuals, any conceptually orchestrated blueprint for social reconciliation, M. Horkheimer argues, will degenerate into ideological dogma. Adorno's concern is to maintain the autonomy of critical theory against its disqualification through the socially immanent limitations of any cognitive or aesthetically formulated practical reason. The relation of critical theory to social practices is a significant aspect of any discourse on freedom.
