Abstract

Is metaphysical thinking still possible today, in this 'late modernity', also termed'the post-metaphysical era'? The author reflects on this question with reference to Theodor W. Adorno's prospect for another metaphysics, mainly posited in his 'Meditations towards a Metaphysics' ('Meditationen zur Metaphysik') at the end of his Negative Dialectics (Negative Dialektik, 1966). Although traditional metaphysical thinking was categorized by Adorno as a 'metaphysics of death' because of the emphasis on identity and prevalent subjectivity by which it supported a praxis of domination and violence, he eagerly yearned for the dawn of a converted philosophical thinking 'after Auschwitz', where the idea of transcendence should no longer coincide with absolute identity nor be perfectly attainable by means of positive thinking. Expounding this new perspective, the author does not abstain from critical comments on the possibility of Adorno's new metaphysics. In relation to this appreciation reflections are advanced regarding present day metaphysics