The Dialectic of Enlightenment (Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno)

The Dialectic of Enlightenment by Horkheimer and Adorno examines how enlightenment ideals—reason, science, and progress—sometimes lead to unintended negative consequences, such as domination, conformity, and loss of individual freedom. They argue that the very tools of rationality and mass culture, initially meant to liberate, can create new forms of control and commodification. This paradox highlights how enlightenment can both illuminate and obscure human freedom, showing that progress can sometimes entrench conformity and oppression rather than abolish them.