7/27/2019 The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Deception

1/15

2Theodor Adorno an

Max Horkheimer

The culture industry: enlightenment as

mass deception

EDITOR'S NTRODUCTON

Adomo and Horkheimer's essay published n the md-1940s remans the

csic denunciation of the cuture industry. It ofers asion of a sOQbthas lost its capacito ourishtrue freedom a ndiYlduai as wel as theabilty to represent the rea condtons of exstence Adorno and Horkhemerliee this oss resuts from the fact that cutura producton has moedfrom

an artsana stage, which depended on ndiYdua effort and required ltte or noinYestent to an ndustrial stage For them the .modern Cu!EstyduGes-safe_stadarjzRro:Utsgeared to the larger demands of thecapitast economG.oes so by reresentin 'aerae ife for purposes of /'ure enteainment or ii[ ucte and reasticaosSIJ"Thus for them Holywood mOYes radio, massproduced journasm and

adYeising are ony dferent at the most supefca ee. Furthermore the \cuture ndusty has become so successful that a and fe are no onger /