August 06

Born in 1612, Arnauld became a prominent member of the Port-Royal circle, influencing religious and intellectual thought. He coauthored the influential ‘Logic or the Art of Thinking’, advancing the study of logic as a discipline. A vigorous defender of Jansenism, he engaged in public debates challenging Cartesian and Jesuit doctrines. His philosophical writings explored metaphysics, epistemology, and the interplay between faith and reason. Arnauld’s rigorous approach to argumentation shaped early modern philosophy and left a lasting mark on theological scholarship.

Theodor W. Adorno was born in Frankfurt in 1903 and studied philosophy and music. He co-founded the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt and developed critical theory alongside Max Horkheimer. Adorno’s work addressed mass culture, authoritarianism, and the dialectic of enlightenment. His key publications include 'Dialectic of Enlightenment,' 'Minima Moralia,' and 'Negative Dialectics.' A trained composer, he also contributed to musicology and aesthetics. Forced into exile during the Nazi regime, he taught at Columbia University in the United States. After returning to Germany in 1949, he continued to shape postwar thought until his death in 1969.