Adorno on Nature

"Adorno is one of the most sophisticated and thorough materialists of the last century, and Cook introduces with much precision (and sympathy for those not already familiar with Adornos work) the diversity and strength of Adornos approach. Adorno on Nature functions in part, then, as a corrective to recent neglect of Adornos commitment to Marxist materialism." Mind "A useful and persuasive account of Adornos concept of nature and its relationship with the thought of, above all, Marx, but also Hegel, Kant and, to a lesser extent, Freud." Marx and Philosophy "A comprehensive and careful analysis of the crucial and often underestimated role of nature in Adorno, tracing Adorno's conception of 'natural history' from the 1930s to the 1960s and articulating its implications for environmental philosophy and activism." Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"Due to its admirable clarity, the book will be extremely useful to those unfamiliar with Adorno. At the same time, Cooks meticulous analysis of Adornos texts and her discussion of secondary literature will also be of great interest to scholars well versed in Adornos work." Environmental Values "Deborah Cook clearly and carefully explores how Adornos concern with nature organises his whole philosophy. She shows the relevance of his work for understanding the environmental crisis." Alison Stone, Lancaster University "Deborah Cook provides an illuminating study of the concept of nature in Adorno and how it emerges and remains a central component of his work, undergirding the key themes of his philosophy. Clearly and lucidly presenting Adornos complex ideas, Cook provides a work that should be of interest to both students and scholars of Adornos important work." Douglas Kellner, UCLA"The reconstruction of Adorno presented here is compelling and will help restore interest in this sophisticated materialist." Journal of Critical Realism

Deborah Cook is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Windsor, Canada. She is author of The Culture Industry Revisited: Theodor W. Adorno on Mass Culture, and Adorno, Habermas, and the Search for a Rational Society, and editor of Theodor Adorno: Key Concepts (2008).

Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Critical Materialism 2. Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw 3. Thought Thinking Itself 4. Adorno's Endgame 5. Adorno and Radical Ecology Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index