Papers by William Ross
Coordination and Cooperation: : Tax Policy in the 21st Century, 2021
This chapter argues that the COVID-19 global pandemic and the socio-economic transformation it im... more This chapter argues that the COVID-19 global pandemic and the socio-economic transformation it implied revealed social possibilities for tax justice that were previously hindered. Mobilizing the notion of a citizen’s perspective, the argument follows the line of two major problems linked to tax justice: opacity of economic activities and information, on the one hand, and socio-economic inequalities, on the other. By shedding light on the existing tension, first, between opacity and transparency, and second, between inequalities and justice, this chapter suggests a reflection on the way we, as a society, are able to experience our own capacities and possibilities. The claim is that tax justice is linked to social justice under the aspect that redistribution of wealth goes alongside a redistribution of capacities by which it is possible to reconfigure our self-understanding and our collective will.
Théorie critique de la propagande, 2020
In this chapter, I investigate Theodor W. Adorno's theory of radio through the concept of "double... more In this chapter, I investigate Theodor W. Adorno's theory of radio through the concept of "double presentation." Adorno argues that societal contradictions are reflected in the way radio broadcasts musical works. He contends that radio's "voice,'' which encompasses the technical distortions of broadcast, reflects the reified and alienated nature of capitalist society. By focusing on the "how" of radio rather than the "what" of its content, Adorno advocates for an interpretation that exposes these contradictions and reveals the potential for a more emancipatory use of the medium. I explore this through Adorno's analysis of symphony broadcasts, showing how radio's technical limitations create an atomized listening experience. He then contrasts this with Adorno's vision of the theremin, a musical instrument that embodies the possibility of radio becoming an expressive medium rather than an imitative one. The chapter ultimately argues that Adorno’s critique of radio is not merely a critique of technology, but a call for a social transformation that would enable a more liberating relationship with cultural products.
Actualité de la Théorie Critique, 2010
This paper argues that Theodor Adorno's philosophy highlights reconciliation as a fundamental con... more This paper argues that Theodor Adorno's philosophy highlights reconciliation as a fundamental concept, diverging from Hegel's view by rejecting the idea that reconciliation can be achieved through the identity of subject and object. Adorno critiques this Hegelian perspective as totalizing and obstructive to genuine reconciliation. For him, authentic reconciliation necessitates an embrace of non-identity, permitting differences to coexist without oppression. He argues that while thought often relies on identification, this should not be its ultimate aim. Instead, thinking should actively engage with the non-identical, recognizing the diversity that influences our understanding. This approach is essential to counteract the totalizing impulses of reason. Adorno frames reconciliation as an ongoing process rather than a definitive goal, realized through continual engagement with and acceptance of difference.
Teaching Documents by William Ross
Description of the seminar Adorno's 1932 essay The Idea of Natural History is as convoluted as it... more Description of the seminar Adorno's 1932 essay The Idea of Natural History is as convoluted as it is central to Adorno's Critical Theory. The concept of Natural History (Naturgeschichte) it develops will act as a continuous leitmotif of Adorno's works. Natural History connects his criticism of phenomenology and ontology on the one hand, and his philosophy of history and of interpretation (Deutung) on the other. It is the guiding concept for his scrutiny of social processes and totality. The essay's exposition is, however, difficult to reconstruct for two reasons. First, its internal structure defies any linear reconstruction and the preliminary definitions that inaugurate each section of the text have to be developed instead of being taken as conclusive descriptions-a recurrent mistake of secondary literature on the essay. Second, Adorno's understanding of Natural History evolves between the 1932 essay and Negative Dialectics, which was published in 1966. In this later version, the sources of the early essay (Benjamin and Lukács) are replaced by an appeal to Hegel and Marx. The aim of this seminar is to develop a genealogy and an interpretation of the constellation surrounding Adorno's Idea of Natural History. In order to do so, the seminar will work with the sources of Adorno's essay (Benjamin, Lukács) and expose its central ideas as well as its composition. The seminar also underlines the relevance of Natural History for Adorno's work as well as recent reappraisals of the text in approaches that, inter alia, try to discern natural history in Sociology or develop a critical analysis of the relation of social structures and normativity. We will also take a look at the debates about Critical Naturalism that inform recent trends of the interplay of social research and philosophy.
In the “Introduction” to the Positivismusstreit, Adorno advances that “totality is not an affirma... more In the “Introduction” to the Positivismusstreit, Adorno advances that “totality is not an affirmative but rather a critical category. Dialectical critique seeks to salvage or help to establish what does not obey totality, what opposes it or what first forms itself as the potential of a not yet existent individuation.” It follows from this that if one of the aims of critical theory is to dispel the power of totality, then a critical theory of society needs a notion of social totality. This tension between a theoretical need for totality and a practical need to free mankind from totality is going to be the common thread during this seminar.
The point of departure (first block) for the conversation will be to “retro engineer” the absence of social totality or of a substantial concept of society in the majority of contemporary sociology. With the help of Gillian Rose’s Hegel Contra Sociology, it will be suggested that this absence has to be attributed to the problem of grounding sociological arguments, a problem that can be traced back to the sociologies of Émile Durkheim and Max Weber. We will be reading excerpts of both classical sociologists in order to understand the nature of the impossibility of a sociological notion of social totality.
The second block will be devoted to the Hegelian theory of ethical life. First, we will consider the passage from relative ethical life to absolute ethical life. This passage is the speculative transition from a social totality relative to something other than itself to the perspective of an absolute totality, that is a totality which possesses its own criteria and negotiates its relation to the other on its own term. This does not mean that social totality is for Hegel unitary and homogeneous. We will therefore consider the logic of opposition in totality and Hegel’s presentation of the civil society will serve as an example of the workings of this oppositional logic.
The third block will be dedicated to Marx’s analysis in the beginning of Capital in which he criticizes the capitalist totality as a mere illusion of absoluteness. From this critical reading, social totality will appear simultaneously as something that needs to be theoretically portrayed and as a spell that must be conjured.
In the fourth block, we will be considering how forms of domination and of exclusion simultaneously, on the one hand, demand a notion of totality in order to be understood and, on the other hand, can serve as loci of revelation of totality by gesturing toward what exceeds this totality and pointing beyond it. Two different models will be considered: Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks and Gayatri Spivak’s Can the Subaltern Speak?
In the fifth and last block, we will consider Adorno’s philosophical attempts to deal with the category of social totality and to think about the possibility of its overcoming. In order to do so, we will discuss how the relation between totality and what Adorno names the non-identical can help us “to establish what does not obey totality.” We will focus here on the notion of fantasy mobilized by Adorno as an epistemological moment that bridges the gap between the theoretical need for totality and a practical need to dispel it.
Theses by William Ross
PhD. Thesis, 2022
The epistemologies of Émile Durkheim and Max Weber organized as they arearound the notion of repr... more The epistemologies of Émile Durkheim and Max Weber organized as they arearound the notion of representation, do not possess an adequate concept of society. The present thesis opposes representation (Vorstellung) via the concept of presentation (Darstellung) that emerges from the dialectical philosophies of G. W. F. Hegel and Karl Marx. Its aim is to shed light on the situation in which society remains, for theory, a possibility that history has yet to actualize. I first explain the Hegelian theory of presentation (chapter I), and then show how Hegel presents society as ethicity (Sittlichkeit) (chapter II). However, the Hegelian presentation of society fails to give an adequate account of the actual content of social conflicts and the possibility of overcoming them. Hegelian thought locks itself into a conception of actuality that makes it fall under the spell of what is also its greatest force: was the claim to have attained the concept was premature (chapter III)? In the second part of the thesis, it is proposed that the inadequacies of Hegelian theory to adequately present society and more specifically, to present its actual historical subject, find their answer in the Marxian theory of the presentation of society who shows how the actualization of society is at the same time its own deactualization. On the one hand, Marx manages to refute the actuality of the Hegelian idea and, by presenting society in a materialist way, he presents the proletariat as the historical subject that bears the possibility of the actualization of human society (chapter IV). On the other hand, in his analysis of capitalist society, Marx reclaims the form of the idealist presentation developed by Hegel while modifying it in order to present capitalist domination in its determinacy: the domination of and by abstractions (chapter V).
However, the actualization of humanity, as proposed by Marx, has not taken place. Society remains to be presented, but the failure of presentation is now the failure of humanity to adequately present itself to itself. In this observation lies the starting point for the theoretical circumstances of a new critical theory of society.
Master's Thesis, 2013
Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) puts forward a philosophy whose
central problems concern social r... more Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) puts forward a philosophy whose
central problems concern social reality. From this same perspective, I aim to
demonstrate, through the presentation of few theoretical models, how these
problems are historically determined and how the search for their solutions
imposes the task of self-criticism upon philosophy. This self-critique aims to
correct certain excesses of the identity theory of truth for which philosophy is
responsible historically and theoretically. Throughout this development, I
argue that the Adornian model carries out a “determinate negation” of the
concept of social totality. In this negation, Adorno guides thinking towards an
awareness and knowledge of the heterogeneous elements of reality. I argue
that this allows conscienceness to open itself to the most important aspect of
philosophical experience: the possibility of acknowledging one’s mistakes and
of correcting them.
Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) propose une philosophie dont les problèmes centraux concernent la réalité sociale. Depuis cette perspective, nous démontrerons, à travers la présentation de quelques modèles théoriques, comment les problèmes traités sont déterminés historiquement et comment la quête de leur résolution engage la philosophie à entrer dans un rapport critique avec elle-même. Cette critique a pour but de corriger les excès de la théorie de la vérité comme adéquation dont la philosophie s’est montrée responsable, tant vis-à-vis d’elle-même que vis-à-vis de l’histoire. À travers ce parcours, nous défendons la thèse que le modèle adornien effectue une « négation déterminée » du concept de totalité sociale en vue d’orienter le penser vers la conscience et la connaissance des éléments hétérogènes de la réalité. Selon nous, une telle réorientation permettrait de rouvrir la conscience à l’expérience de ce qu’elle a de plus précieux : la possibilité de rendre compte de ses erreurs et de les corriger.
Conferences by William Ross
and will take place in the seminar rooms of the Hotel Grauer Bär, Universitätsstrasse 5-7, Innsbr... more and will take place in the seminar rooms of the Hotel Grauer Bär, Universitätsstrasse 5-7, Innsbruck. It is just a 2-minute walk from the old town center and 10 minutes from the railway statioan. Note: The main university building (other disciplines) is in a different city location! Old Town Conference venue: Hotel Grauer Bär, SOWI Campus, University of Innsbruck, Universitätsstraße 5-7 (top of the map) Main railway station Funicular stop Hungerburgbahn (to Seegrube)
Another destruction of nature is possible: some political consequences of Adorno's notion of natu... more Another destruction of nature is possible: some political consequences of Adorno's notion of natural history Agnès Grivaux (Faculty Member, University of Nantes) The question of contingency in Adorno's reflection on the relationship between nature and history
This text is a lecture exploring the concept of materialism in the philosophy of Adorno. I argue ... more This text is a lecture exploring the concept of materialism in the philosophy of Adorno. I argue that materialism is not a straightforward metaphysical system, but rather a critical attitude towards the privileging of thought over the material world. I discuss the implications of this understanding for both metaphysics and epistemology, ultimately suggesting that a critical, materialist approach must address the social and economic forces that contribute to the separation between subject and object.
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Papers by William Ross
Teaching Documents by William Ross
The point of departure (first block) for the conversation will be to “retro engineer” the absence of social totality or of a substantial concept of society in the majority of contemporary sociology. With the help of Gillian Rose’s Hegel Contra Sociology, it will be suggested that this absence has to be attributed to the problem of grounding sociological arguments, a problem that can be traced back to the sociologies of Émile Durkheim and Max Weber. We will be reading excerpts of both classical sociologists in order to understand the nature of the impossibility of a sociological notion of social totality.
The second block will be devoted to the Hegelian theory of ethical life. First, we will consider the passage from relative ethical life to absolute ethical life. This passage is the speculative transition from a social totality relative to something other than itself to the perspective of an absolute totality, that is a totality which possesses its own criteria and negotiates its relation to the other on its own term. This does not mean that social totality is for Hegel unitary and homogeneous. We will therefore consider the logic of opposition in totality and Hegel’s presentation of the civil society will serve as an example of the workings of this oppositional logic.
The third block will be dedicated to Marx’s analysis in the beginning of Capital in which he criticizes the capitalist totality as a mere illusion of absoluteness. From this critical reading, social totality will appear simultaneously as something that needs to be theoretically portrayed and as a spell that must be conjured.
In the fourth block, we will be considering how forms of domination and of exclusion simultaneously, on the one hand, demand a notion of totality in order to be understood and, on the other hand, can serve as loci of revelation of totality by gesturing toward what exceeds this totality and pointing beyond it. Two different models will be considered: Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks and Gayatri Spivak’s Can the Subaltern Speak?
In the fifth and last block, we will consider Adorno’s philosophical attempts to deal with the category of social totality and to think about the possibility of its overcoming. In order to do so, we will discuss how the relation between totality and what Adorno names the non-identical can help us “to establish what does not obey totality.” We will focus here on the notion of fantasy mobilized by Adorno as an epistemological moment that bridges the gap between the theoretical need for totality and a practical need to dispel it.
Theses by William Ross
However, the actualization of humanity, as proposed by Marx, has not taken place. Society remains to be presented, but the failure of presentation is now the failure of humanity to adequately present itself to itself. In this observation lies the starting point for the theoretical circumstances of a new critical theory of society.
central problems concern social reality. From this same perspective, I aim to
demonstrate, through the presentation of few theoretical models, how these
problems are historically determined and how the search for their solutions
imposes the task of self-criticism upon philosophy. This self-critique aims to
correct certain excesses of the identity theory of truth for which philosophy is
responsible historically and theoretically. Throughout this development, I
argue that the Adornian model carries out a “determinate negation” of the
concept of social totality. In this negation, Adorno guides thinking towards an
awareness and knowledge of the heterogeneous elements of reality. I argue
that this allows conscienceness to open itself to the most important aspect of
philosophical experience: the possibility of acknowledging one’s mistakes and
of correcting them.
Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) propose une philosophie dont les problèmes centraux concernent la réalité sociale. Depuis cette perspective, nous démontrerons, à travers la présentation de quelques modèles théoriques, comment les problèmes traités sont déterminés historiquement et comment la quête de leur résolution engage la philosophie à entrer dans un rapport critique avec elle-même. Cette critique a pour but de corriger les excès de la théorie de la vérité comme adéquation dont la philosophie s’est montrée responsable, tant vis-à-vis d’elle-même que vis-à-vis de l’histoire. À travers ce parcours, nous défendons la thèse que le modèle adornien effectue une « négation déterminée » du concept de totalité sociale en vue d’orienter le penser vers la conscience et la connaissance des éléments hétérogènes de la réalité. Selon nous, une telle réorientation permettrait de rouvrir la conscience à l’expérience de ce qu’elle a de plus précieux : la possibilité de rendre compte de ses erreurs et de les corriger.
Conferences by William Ross
The point of departure (first block) for the conversation will be to “retro engineer” the absence of social totality or of a substantial concept of society in the majority of contemporary sociology. With the help of Gillian Rose’s Hegel Contra Sociology, it will be suggested that this absence has to be attributed to the problem of grounding sociological arguments, a problem that can be traced back to the sociologies of Émile Durkheim and Max Weber. We will be reading excerpts of both classical sociologists in order to understand the nature of the impossibility of a sociological notion of social totality.
The second block will be devoted to the Hegelian theory of ethical life. First, we will consider the passage from relative ethical life to absolute ethical life. This passage is the speculative transition from a social totality relative to something other than itself to the perspective of an absolute totality, that is a totality which possesses its own criteria and negotiates its relation to the other on its own term. This does not mean that social totality is for Hegel unitary and homogeneous. We will therefore consider the logic of opposition in totality and Hegel’s presentation of the civil society will serve as an example of the workings of this oppositional logic.
The third block will be dedicated to Marx’s analysis in the beginning of Capital in which he criticizes the capitalist totality as a mere illusion of absoluteness. From this critical reading, social totality will appear simultaneously as something that needs to be theoretically portrayed and as a spell that must be conjured.
In the fourth block, we will be considering how forms of domination and of exclusion simultaneously, on the one hand, demand a notion of totality in order to be understood and, on the other hand, can serve as loci of revelation of totality by gesturing toward what exceeds this totality and pointing beyond it. Two different models will be considered: Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks and Gayatri Spivak’s Can the Subaltern Speak?
In the fifth and last block, we will consider Adorno’s philosophical attempts to deal with the category of social totality and to think about the possibility of its overcoming. In order to do so, we will discuss how the relation between totality and what Adorno names the non-identical can help us “to establish what does not obey totality.” We will focus here on the notion of fantasy mobilized by Adorno as an epistemological moment that bridges the gap between the theoretical need for totality and a practical need to dispel it.
However, the actualization of humanity, as proposed by Marx, has not taken place. Society remains to be presented, but the failure of presentation is now the failure of humanity to adequately present itself to itself. In this observation lies the starting point for the theoretical circumstances of a new critical theory of society.
central problems concern social reality. From this same perspective, I aim to
demonstrate, through the presentation of few theoretical models, how these
problems are historically determined and how the search for their solutions
imposes the task of self-criticism upon philosophy. This self-critique aims to
correct certain excesses of the identity theory of truth for which philosophy is
responsible historically and theoretically. Throughout this development, I
argue that the Adornian model carries out a “determinate negation” of the
concept of social totality. In this negation, Adorno guides thinking towards an
awareness and knowledge of the heterogeneous elements of reality. I argue
that this allows conscienceness to open itself to the most important aspect of
philosophical experience: the possibility of acknowledging one’s mistakes and
of correcting them.
Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) propose une philosophie dont les problèmes centraux concernent la réalité sociale. Depuis cette perspective, nous démontrerons, à travers la présentation de quelques modèles théoriques, comment les problèmes traités sont déterminés historiquement et comment la quête de leur résolution engage la philosophie à entrer dans un rapport critique avec elle-même. Cette critique a pour but de corriger les excès de la théorie de la vérité comme adéquation dont la philosophie s’est montrée responsable, tant vis-à-vis d’elle-même que vis-à-vis de l’histoire. À travers ce parcours, nous défendons la thèse que le modèle adornien effectue une « négation déterminée » du concept de totalité sociale en vue d’orienter le penser vers la conscience et la connaissance des éléments hétérogènes de la réalité. Selon nous, une telle réorientation permettrait de rouvrir la conscience à l’expérience de ce qu’elle a de plus précieux : la possibilité de rendre compte de ses erreurs et de les corriger.