Georgi Iliev
Papers of BAS, Humanities and Social Sciences
Vol. 3, No 1, 2016
PHILOSOPHY
MYTH, METAPHYSICS AND ETHICS OF THE NEW: ADORNO, BENJAMIN AND KAFKA
Georgi Iliev
Abstract:The focus of the text are two essays on the work of Franz Kafka – one by Theodor Adorno, and one by Walter Benjamin. They both look for the significance of Kafka for the project of critical theory, his potential to contribute to the social critique. Benjamin and Adorno use the concepts of myth and metaphysics and investigate their implied critique in some works of the Czech author. Another important perspective is the epistemological one. Literature is a key field of encounter for epistemological platforms and ethical claims. Kafka acquires his political importance as an unrecognized critic of the political status quo by means of his elaborate ethical stance.
Key words: Frankfurt School, epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, critical theory