offered in partnership with the Institute for Social Ecology
Course description:
Upon finding refuge in America, several German-Jewish philosophers sought to understand the terms fascism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. They focused on morality, participation and subjectivity rather than the figure of the dictator. They asked if this could happen in America. We will begin with a survey of contemporary debates and then read selections from Adorno and Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947), Adorno, The Authoritarian Personality (1950), and Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951). We will conclude with Benjamin’s Thesis on the Philosophy of History (1940).
Duration:
8 week course, online
Next offered :
January 7 – February 25, 2026
- Wednesdays 18:00-19:30 (EST)
Instructor:
This course can be taken for credit through the Vermont State University (undergraduate, graduate, continuing education). Scholarships are available through VSAC.
