Iain Macdonald
Iain Macdonald teaches philosophy at Université de Montréal. His current work is focussed on modality in Hegel, Marx, Adorno, and Heidegger. He is also a past president of the Canadian Society for Continental Philosophy.
Address: Département de philosophie
Université de Montréal
Pavillon 2910, boul. Édouard-Montpetit
C. P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville
Montréal (Québec) H3C 3J7
Canada
Address: Département de philosophie
Université de Montréal
Pavillon 2910, boul. Édouard-Montpetit
C. P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville
Montréal (Québec) H3C 3J7
Canada
less
Related Authors
InterestsView All (13)
Uploads
Books by Iain Macdonald
Book abstract: Theodor W. Adorno’s many references to utopia, redemption, and reconciliation, among others such terms, seem to refer us to a possible future that would break decisively with the continuum of social injustices that characterizes history. However, the concept of possibility that would allow us to make sense of this aspect of Adorno’s philosophy and social theory, while present in his writings, is nevertheless left somewhat underdeveloped. How should we understand his concept of possibility? In a first step, Adorno’s view is briefly contrasted with Hegel’s, Georg Lukács’s, and Ernst Bloch’s in order to sketch the central modal concept attributed to him: blocked possibility. On the basis of this initial approach, the book then takes a closer look at Hegel’s metaphysics of possibility, which lays the foundations for a more complete presentation of Adorno’s view, focusing on the dialectic of nature and history as it unfolds in various writings from different periods of his intellectual development. However, this then raises certain questions, the first among which is how Adorno’s theory relates to Heidegger’s understanding of blocked possibility, which seems in some ways similar to Adorno’s. Finally, by way of an epilogue, Walter Benjamin’s notion of the “dialectical image” is brought into play in order to show both its proximity to Adornian blocked possibility and the specific importance of Adorno’s call for “solidarity with metaphysics at the moment of its fall.”
Papers by Iain Macdonald
La gauche et l’égalité de Jean-Michel Salanskis cherche à faire le bilan des principes traditionnels de la gauche afin de la guérir de certaines illusions et de renouveler ce qui est, pour lui, son pilier central : la quête de l’égalité. Mais pour ce faire, il déploie un concept de possibilité ambigu et problématique qui pourrait mettre en péril la cohérence de son projet. La présente étude analyse le texte de Salanskis en décortiquant son concept de possibilité, et propose quelques ajustements afin d’éviter certains écueils classiques dans l’histoire de la pensée dialectique."
Book abstract: Theodor W. Adorno’s many references to utopia, redemption, and reconciliation, among others such terms, seem to refer us to a possible future that would break decisively with the continuum of social injustices that characterizes history. However, the concept of possibility that would allow us to make sense of this aspect of Adorno’s philosophy and social theory, while present in his writings, is nevertheless left somewhat underdeveloped. How should we understand his concept of possibility? In a first step, Adorno’s view is briefly contrasted with Hegel’s, Georg Lukács’s, and Ernst Bloch’s in order to sketch the central modal concept attributed to him: blocked possibility. On the basis of this initial approach, the book then takes a closer look at Hegel’s metaphysics of possibility, which lays the foundations for a more complete presentation of Adorno’s view, focusing on the dialectic of nature and history as it unfolds in various writings from different periods of his intellectual development. However, this then raises certain questions, the first among which is how Adorno’s theory relates to Heidegger’s understanding of blocked possibility, which seems in some ways similar to Adorno’s. Finally, by way of an epilogue, Walter Benjamin’s notion of the “dialectical image” is brought into play in order to show both its proximity to Adornian blocked possibility and the specific importance of Adorno’s call for “solidarity with metaphysics at the moment of its fall.”
La gauche et l’égalité de Jean-Michel Salanskis cherche à faire le bilan des principes traditionnels de la gauche afin de la guérir de certaines illusions et de renouveler ce qui est, pour lui, son pilier central : la quête de l’égalité. Mais pour ce faire, il déploie un concept de possibilité ambigu et problématique qui pourrait mettre en péril la cohérence de son projet. La présente étude analyse le texte de Salanskis en décortiquant son concept de possibilité, et propose quelques ajustements afin d’éviter certains écueils classiques dans l’histoire de la pensée dialectique."