Abstract
This article correlates the Freudian premise of the malaise in civilization with Adorno’s concept of semi-formation. The main concepts in the essay “Theory of Pseudo-culture” (Adorno, 1966) are presented. In it, Adorno proposed that cultural formation (Bildung) shifts man away from nature and the body. The notion of semi-formation assumes that civilization would have, in its origin, the seeds of its collapse, by way of its quest for domination of nature and the body. Thus, Adorno is seen as no stranger to Freud, when he conceives violence as installed in the very core of civilization. In 1930, Freud realizes it is no longer possible to share the enthusiasm for civilization as a valuable asset that would lead all men to the highest perfection. There is an antagonism between the demands of drive and the restraints of civilization that makes conflict insoluble and helplessness unavoidable.
Keywords:
barbarism; civilization; Freud; Adorno; cultural semi-formation