Throughout his work, the philosopher Theodor W. Adorno repeatedly invokes the rhinoceros. Taking its cue from one of these passages in Aesthetic Theory, 'So a rhinoceros, the mute animal, seems to say: I am a rhinoceros', this book explores the life of this animal in Adorno's texts, and articulates the nuanced interconnections between art, nature and critique in his thought.By thus illuminating key elements of Adorno's work, this volume reveals the invaluable contributions that this 'classical' thinker can make to our current reflections on the various pressing natural and political crises of our times.

AcknowledgmentsList of IllustrationsList of Contributors 1. Introduction: The enigma of the rhinoceros, Antonia Hofstätter, (University of Warwick, UK) 2. In the name of the rhinoceros: expression beyond human intention, Camilla Flodin (Uppsala University, Sweden)3. The rhinoceros at the bottom of the sea: Adorno, Dürer and the silent eloquence of artworks, Antonia Hofstätter (University of Warwick, UK) 4. Just one line: reading T. W. Adorno on humans, artworks and animals, Lydia Goehr (Columbia University, USA)5. The mute animal, Alexander García Düttmann (Universität der Künste, Berlin, Germany)6. The speaking animal: on a metaphor of humanity, Sebastian Tränkle (Freie Universität, Germany)7. The gaze of the rhinoceros and the 'it' of Aesthetic Theory, Daniel Steuer (Independent Scholar, Austria)8. The muted animal, Daniel Herwitz (University of Michigan, USA)9. Epilogue: On the actuality of Adorno's rhinoceros - extraction, extinction and dignity, Daniel Steuer (Independent Scholar, Austria)Index