Ein Mythos politischer Stimmen

Abstract

Based on Horkheimer's and Adorno's Dialectic of Enlightenment, this article inquires into the political part of myth, which becomes apparent in the Sirens and especially their vocal power: The dynamic between myth and epic that can be depicted by means of a mutual moment of displacement - to which questions of reason, bourgeoisie, and enlightenment can also be linked through Odysseus - can be experienced, taking into account ancient sources and more recent research literature, as a conflict of (media-)political interests around gaining knowledge and the possibility of being able to know anything at all about the world that is still valid today. In this context, not only the Platonic role of the sirens in the ancient world structure is recalled, but also their instrumental part.