Adorno’s aporetic critique forced him into a theology he hinted at only metaphorically.

Evidence

It was precisely Adorno’s insistence on the aporia of the immanent critique of false conditions that led him into a kind of theology in parentheses. It was like a bill of exchange whose character as such was emphasized, while one nevertheless counted on its being redeemed. … No wonder he did not go into these questions in his written work, on principle, preferring to give hints about the ultimate justifications for Critical Theory in metaphorical form, and therefore in formulations that sounded provisional and non-committal. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 531

Categorization

• DEFINE: ‘Theology in parentheses’ and ‘bill of exchange’ are Wiggershaus’s own characterization of Adorno’s unstated grounding assumptions.