Adorno’s core project was the possibility of art, not social theory like Horkheimer’s.

Evidence

Adorno’s situation was different from that of Horkheimer from the start. His central interest lay not in social theory but in giving an account of art and of the possibility of art in present-day society. 98 This interest made it seem promising to short-circuit the technical analysis of works of art by using certain ideas from the philosophy of history. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 207

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the recurring Horkheimer-Adorno contrast running through the Institutional history; useful for mapping the Institute’s division of intellectual labor. — connects to: Adorno believed a knowledge of art made the turn to social theory necessary. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1257; Adorno saw immersion in art theory as forcing a turn toward social theory — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 324; Horkheimer pushed Adorno’s music criticism to become direct social critique — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 324
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Adorno believed a knowledge of art made the turn to social theory necessary. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1257; Adorno saw immersion in art theory as forcing a turn toward social theory — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 324; Horkheimer pushed Adorno’s music criticism to become direct social critique — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 324

Broader Connections

• Adorno saw immersion in art theory as forcing a turn toward social theory #contradicts (0.92) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 324
• Horkheimer pushed Adorno’s music criticism to become direct social critique #complicates (0.78) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 324