Intelligent judgement compensates excluded instincts by resisting social force

Evidence

It is rather for philosophy to seek, in the opposition of feeling and understanding, their – precisely moral – unity. Intelligence, in asserting its power of judgement, opposes anything given in advance, by at the same time expressing it. The very judgement that excludes instinctual impulses compensates them by a moment of counter-pressure against the force exerted by society. — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia, 219

Categorization

• DEFINE: Adorno’s redefinition of intelligence as a moral category — not raw cognitive power but a counter-pressure against society’s force.
• XREF: connects to: The absence of conflict in normal people masks authority’s prior suppression of instinct; Solidarity degenerates into fear-driven obedience when followers forfeit independent judgment; Thought suppression ironically makes unwanted traits dominate one’s perceptions of others — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 2355 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Solitary instincts conflict with the gregarious self-interest required for society #expands (0.80) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 2471
• Thought suppression ironically makes unwanted traits dominate one’s perceptions of others #complicates (0.78) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2355
• Innate qualities constrain but do not abolish freedom within a situation #qualifies (0.75) — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 717