The possibility of humam emancipation – the resume to the formative experience and to the auto-critic reason-contributions of Theodor W. Adorno to Education

Abstract

The present work aims to identify and discuss the possibility of human emancipation and its relation with the educational process through the contributions of Theodor W. Adorno, philosopher and thinker of the Critical Theory, Frankfurt School. At first, the Frankfurt School creation, even if briefly, is described mentioning some of its representatives and Max Horkheimer critic about the so called Traditional Theory. In this sense, we intend to contextualize the idea of a Critical Theory elaborated by such thinker to set the educational discussion. Later on, we explore the formation and rationality problem within the capitalism context that turn out to be semi-formation and instrumental reason, discussing the limits to an authentic formation. We raise the challenge of Education after Auschwitz, brought up by Adorno relating the idea of emancipation and education against barbary. We intend to present two presuppositions of Adorno related to the possibility of human emancipation: the resume of the formative experience and the need of critical and auto-critical reasoning. Therefore we attempt to demonstrate a possible pedagogical potential of the Critical Theory and its contribution to the educational discussion concerning the referred issue.