Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations (2009 -) Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Projects Moral Imagination and Adorno: Before and After Auschwitz Catlyn Origitano Marquette University Recommended Citation Origitano, Catlyn, "Moral Imagination and Adorno: Before and After Auschwitz" (2016).Dissertations (2009 -).Paper 656. http://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/656 MORAL IMAGINATION AND ADORNO: BEFORE AND AFTER AUSCHWITZ by Catlyn Origitano, B.A, M.A A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin August 2016 ABSTRACT MORAL IMAGINATION AND ADORNO: BEFORE AND AFTER AUSCHWITZ Catlyn Origitano, B.A., M.A Marquette University, 2016 In the aftermath of national or international tragedies, appeals for action such as, “Never Forget” or “Never Again” are ubiquitous. Theodor Adorno makes a similar call in the wake of the Holocaust, proclaiming that all education should be focused on the prevention of another genocide. While most would agree with such a statement, practically how do we respond to such a call, specifically in light of Adorno’s work? Answering this question is at the heart of this project and I argue that imaginative memorials can fulfill Adorno’s criteria for post-Auschwitz education. I first present a theory of moral imagination by relying on contemporary accounts of the theory and then show how it complements Adorno’s work, specifically by offering an explanatory foundation to a number of his claims. I reveal that many of Adorno’s observations about the world are supported by recent advancements in the understanding of imagination and I argue that the combination of contemporary accounts of moral imagination and Adorno’s thought are mutually beneficial. After the two theories have been sufficiently discussed and integrated, I focus on Adorno’s arguments regarding education following Auschwitz. Adorno argues that we should investigate how such a horror could occur, and the people who committed the acts of genocide. Such information will be helpful for the prevention of another Auschwitz because we can attempt to overcome the values and ideas of those who perpetrated genocide. This dissertation is unique and of philosophical importance because it fleshes out Adorno’s discussion of the characteristics that led to the Holocaust and argues for a specific form of education that meets all of the criteria of Adorno’s post-Auschwitz education: memorials that stimulate the visitor’s imagination. In order to make this point, I highlight specific Holocaust memorials that are imaginative and argue for their efficacy. My goal for the project is to actualize Adorno’s post-Auschwitz education initiative through imaginative memorials. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Catlyn Origitano, M.A., B.A. I would like to thank my mom and dad for inspiring me to pursue and complete my PhD. I would also like to thank my committee members: Drs. James South, Kevin Gibson, Susanne Foster, and Theresa Tobin; their constant support and guidance have been crucial to any success I’ve enjoyed. Thank you to my all colleagues, including: Daniel Vecchio, Shaun Miller, Jered Janes, Daniel Farmer, and Matthew Nowachek. Thank you Melissa Shew, Andrew Cutrofello, Dottie Rossitano, and especially Trevor Smith and Lee Wagner for all of your support and guidance. Thanks to Marquette University, as well as the Smith Family for supporting my research. Thank you to my Hines, Origitano, Drubel, and Proust families. Finally, and most of all, to Matthew Ross who has been the constant encourager, editor, cheerleader, rock, and everything else that was necessary for this project to succeed. This dissertation is dedicated to you. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................. i LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ iv INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter Outline ............................................................................................... 4 A CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF MORAL IMAGINATION ......................................... 10 Mark Johnson and Moral Imagination .......................................................... 11 The Activities of Moral Imagination ............................................................. 15 The Importance of Moral Imagination .......................................................... 25 Patricia Werhane and Moral Imagination ..................................................... 30 Martha Nussbaum and Moral Imagination .................................................... 36 Johnson, Werhane, and Nussbaum Connected .............................................. 44 Moral Education Through Narratives ............................................................ 51 MORAL IMAGINATION AND ADORNO ............................................................................. 62 Enlightenment ............................................................................................... 62 Instrumental Reason ...................................................................................... 70 Identity and Nonidentity Thinking ................................................................ 74 Constellations ................................................................................................ 83 Barter and Accounting Language .................................................................. 95 Adorno on Imagination ................................................................................. 98 Moral Imagination and Adorno Connected ................................................. 106 A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ‘EDUCATION AFTER AUSCHWITZ’ ............................... 113 Collective Thinking ..................................................................................... 124 Hardness and Coldness ................................................................................ 135 iii The Veil of Technology .............................................................................. 149 Barbarization of the Countryside ................................................................ 155 Avoidance.................................................................................................... 157 IMAGINING ADORNO’S ‘EDUCATION AFTER AUSCHWITZ’ ..................................... 161 An Imaginative Education ........................................................................... 162 Exemplars .................................................................................................... 167 Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory .............................................................. 169 Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe ................................................. 184 Stopersten/Stumbling Block ........................................................................ 191 A Necessary Change in Education .............................................................. 202 Mechanisms of Prejudice ............................................................................ 214 Potential Criticisms ..................................................................................... 220 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 229 Contributions to the Literature .................................................................... 230 Limitations and Further Research ............................................................... 231 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................ 234 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Adorno's Complex Concept. Created by author. ............................................... 78 Figure 2. Water Constellation. Created by author. ........................................................... 86 Figure 3. "Müncher Illustrietre Presse." Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. Photo by author, 2014. ................................................................................................................... 125 Figure 4. Documentation Center Nazi Rally Party Grounds. Photo by author, 2014. .... 144 Figure 5. Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. Expedia, 2015. ........................................ 170 Figure 6. Ghetto Ceiling and Wall in Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. Photo by author, 2014................................................................................................................................. 171 Figure 7. Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. Expedia. 2015. ........................................ 172 Figure 8. Two books, one says "Righteous" in Polish and the other "Traitorous" in the Hall of Choices. Photo by author, 2014. ......................................................................... 176 Figure 9. Oskar Schindler’s Factory Photo: Hall of Choices. Tripadvisor, 2014. .......... 177 Figure 10. Field of Stelae of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Photo by author, 2014. ................................................................................................................... 184 Figure 11. Inside the Field of Stelae of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Photo by author, 2014. .................................................................................................... 185 Figure 12. Information Center.Room of Families. Siftung-denkmal.de, 2014. .............. 186 Figure 13. Stumbling Blocks. Berlin. Photo by author, 2014. ........................................ 191 Figure 14. Stumbling Blocks. Berlin. Photo by author, 2014. ........................................ 192 1 INTRODUCTION Imagination has had a rollercoaster relationship with Western philosophy. At its zenith, it is credited with the creation of artwork; at its nadir, it’s a faculty of delusion, leading us astray from truth and reason. When it comes to ethics, imagination has only recently come onto the scene.1 For most of the history of Western Philosophy, rational measurements in the form of golden means or hedonic calculations have been the methods of choice for determining the best moral action. Recently, within the latter half of the century, imagination has begun to grow in importance as the study of it, especially within ‘hard sciences,’ develops. Cognitive science and neuroscience have begun to focus on imagination’s role in our moral lives and philosophy is, fortunately, joining in the conversation. This project is meant to add to the ever-growing ranks of academics championing imagination’s role in our lives. Though I think that imagination is present and required in most of our cognitive activities, in this project I am going to focus primarily on imagination’s role in morality, most often referred to as moral imagination. While I explore the major contemporary theories of moral imagination, I also extend them to Critical Theorist Theodor Adorno, specifically his work on education after Auschwitz. I look to integrate the two theories in order to realize Adorno’s project of an education that combats the features that led to Auschwitz. 1 At least explicitly—it can be argued that imagination has always been discussed in connection with ethics, even if not named. For instance, contemplating the mean between excess and deficiency requires holding two possibilities in the mind and comparing them. Such activities seem to rely heavily on imagination as we know it. 2 An aim of my research is to establish a clarified and unified understanding of moral imagination, merging contemporary accounts and focusing primarily on imagination’s role in moral deliberation and perception. From there, my objective is to unite the theory with Adorno’s, revealing how the two are mutually beneficial, as well as compatible. The ultimate aim of the project is to offer a possibility for education post Auschwitz. In particular, I suggest that certain imaginative memorials and museums can have a powerful impact on their visitors in such a way that the museums can possibly prepare visitors for future, similar experiences. By using data on the efficacy of imagination, as well as Adorno’s work on the causes of the Holocaust, I offer an education that weds the two, as well as concrete examples of museums that utilize the education I discuss. Ultimately, then, my project will contribute to a body of literature on genocide education in a unique way by focusing on the role of imagination therein. I was initially drawn to the topic of moral imagination through imagination itself. My early interest in philosophy was in aesthetics (and certainly such an interest remains). In most aesthetic theories, imagination is hailed as an important and necessary component to the creation of artworks and the appreciation of those works. Imagination was often touted as the ‘lawless’ feature that allowed for creativity and for those feelings of awe in front of artworks. It was here that I first became interested in imagination, but such an interest was not completely fleshed out until I moved out of aesthetics and studied in greater depth the history of philosophy. Here I saw my favorite faculty dragged through the mud. Not only that, but it seemed that many of the descriptions of the mental faculties, or activities that philosophers praised, were impossible without some of the features of imagination; if the faculty wasn’t being criticized, its role was being denied. 3 It was this rejection that led me to study the role of imagination throughout the history of philosophy, and ultimately to moral imagination: the role of imagination in our moral lives. I was drawn to this specific area because, more than ever, imagination seems fundamental to our moral activities. Insofar as morality plays an integral role in our everyday lives, I thought it was important to investigate imagination’s role therein. It wasn’t until Dr. James South, my advisor, introduced me to Theodor Adorno that the other piece to the puzzle fell into place. Adorno’s work provides a solid framework within which moral imagination fits. His critique of reason offers a good place to suggest the benefits of moral imagination. His critiques of society, in particular the way, in which he blends psychoanalysis, and Marxist work, serve as a great place for imagination to lend its voice. Further, his work focused on the Holocaust brings moral imagination into a place where it can have a real impact: an education post-Holocaust that addresses the conditions that led to it and attempt to counteract them. I have for a long time, like many, been fascinated by the Holocaust. It is an event that captivates many as it seems to defy comprehensibility. How could so many die and so few do anything to stop it? How could so many camps be built, and so much horror take place? I wanted to add to the large body of work on the Holocaust in a way that both looks back to understand, but also forward to move ahead. Further, introducing and incorporating imagination into the picture provides unique insights into what happened and what can happen: many people say that the Holocaust is ‘unimaginable’ but it wasn’t, it was imagined, and it took place. Discussing imagination in terms of understanding what happened, as well as tools for education post-genocide, seems an interesting and necessary direction for my project.