Violence and legitimacy

critical analysis of “systemic violence” in Theodor Adorno and Marx Horkheimer

Abstract

Systemic violence consists of aggressive treatment perpetually and subtly inflicted on individuals by individuals or groups. Such violence negatively affects the development of different social spheres. Since systemic violence is the result of rational planning, it is not perceived in its complexity either by those affected or by external agents. The purpose of the text is to discuss the reasons why this type of violence remains implicit. To this end, we will first discuss systemic violence and its types. In a second moment it will be argued that the reasons why this type of violence appears are due to the continued exercise of "instrumental reason" and "authoritarianism" (under the perspective of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer). And, finally, it will be reviewed whether such analysis serves to understand the reasons for the occurrence of both types of systemic violence or only one of them.