Theodor Adorno. On the Democratisation of German Universities

Abstract

The German social philosopher Theodor Adorno, the representative of the critical theory of society, wrote this work as a speech in 1959, ten years after his return from exile in West Germany. In his characteristic manner of neo-Marxist criticism of the educational system of West Germany, Adorno critically noted the dynamics of the process of democratisation of higher education and universities in this country. According to the neo-Marxist philosopher, the principled enemy of the ideology of bourgeois society, the democratisation of universities in that country faces serious obstacles on its way. Namely: the limited access to university education for young people from workers' families, which means insufficient social openness of universities. The predominance of material interest in the educational work of some teachers, which is obviously caused by the priority of material values of the industrial society. There is an absolute lack in the educational process of the personal participation of such teachers, whose educational activity is determined by the strength of their individual spirit. The prevailing apoliticalness of the then West German society as post-totalitarian, as a result — passive refusal of students and university graduates to participate in public affairs. Having defined democracy as the active participation of the population in public affairs, Theodor Adorno also defined the task of an intellectual — an educated person who is involved in the educational process at a university. Such a task is an intellectual's knowledge of social conditions that lead to a shortage of an active spirit in the process of democratisation of universities, and reflection on the possibility of corresponding changes. The task of the universities of West Germany as a democratic country was called the educational activation of graduates of their individual spirit as a factor of activity, which is emancipated from the influence of the ideology of adaptation society. Higher education due to a means of upbringing should to strengthen its students' critical self-consciousness — an important condition for social democratisation.