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The book, Why the Frankfurt School Today? Estrangement from Nature in the Age of Digital Capitalism , assesses digital era living and our estrangement from nature, looking at the work of Adorno, Marcuse and Benjamin via philosophical research and observation of social media as well as close reading of key Frankfurt School texts and lesser known works. This study serves as an introduction to key thinkers of the Frankfurt School as they relate to today’s issues of natural degradation, digital capitalism and AI . The characteristic negativity of Adorno, charismatic positivity of Marcuse and esoteric enquiries of Benjamin will be assessed in their possible usefulness to the challenges of 21st Century M edia and its empowering and controlling effects. In an era of intense political currents, which arguably trace their genesis to capitalism’s alienating effects vis-a-vis humankind’s relation to nature, the Frankfurt School provides a historical reference point that can help us navigate the challenges we face.
Mike Watson is a UK- born art and media theorist, critic and curator who holds a PhD in Philosophy from Goldsmiths College. He curated events at the 55th and 56th Venice Biennale, as well as at Manifesta 12 in Palermo. He has written regularly for The Guardian, Jacobin, Art Review, Artforum, and Radical Philosophy.