A preponderance of objects: critical theory and the turn to the object

Abstract

This article critically examines the turn to the object in contemporary philosophy, particularly through an examination of the object-oriented philosophies of Graham Harman and Bruno Latour. I pose the question as to how Adorno’s philosophical project can aid a critical examination of contemporary realist ontologies. Using insights gleaned from Adorno’s critical philosophy, I claim that any “turn to the object”, needs to continue to critically engage with subjectivity and conceptuality. Finally, I consider the question of critique, and outline a project for a critical materialist philosophy that nevertheless emphasises the “preponderance of the object.”