Adorno and Kant

Abstract Adorno’s philosophy is deeply influenced by Kant. While Adorno criticizes Kant’s philosophy throughout his writings, he is sympathetic to Kant’s “rescuing urge,” his attempt to salvage the achievements of traditional metaphysics under post-critical conditions. Adorno’s criticism of Kant is that he has reified the basic concepts of his philosophy and therefore cannot account for their historical context and their meaning in social and political struggles. This is true of concepts such as