Alžběta Dyčková

Jan Patočka and Theodor W. Adorno are representatives of two different philosophical streams. Nevertheless, despite the differences in their methods, the intellectual environments that shaped their thinking, and even their mutual critique of each other’s approaches, they arrived at strikingly similar conclusions regarding the philosophical relevance of spiritual experiences, freedom, and the need to transcend old metaphysics or rethink it. Their legacy, especially when put in dialogue, presents a remarkable contribution to the problem of the value of philosophy in today’s world and the question of what philosophy should focus on once it has departed from attempts to build all-encompassing ontological systems. By interpreting the positions of these two important 20th-century authors, Alžběta Dyčková hopes to contribute to the contemporary metaphilosophical debate and investigate what the insights of Patočka and Adorno can contribute to our reflection on the post-European age.