Adorno’s use-value destruction thesis contradicts Marx’s commodity definition

Evidence

Usingculturalphenomenasuchasmusic–amongothers–Adornoattempts to provide an exemplary illustration of an historic situation of inversion between use-value and exchange-value. ‘The more inexorably the principle of exchange-value destroys use-values for human beings, the more deeply does exchange-value disguise itself as the object of enjoyment [or object of pleasure, according to the 1938 version of the essay]’. Yet if use-value were indeed destroyed for ‘human beings’, music would no longer be a commodity in the Marxian sense, according to which a commodity without use-value cannot exist. On the other hand, if music is a commodity – if it does have a use-value – then it is not clear why the recipients of music, that is, the consumers of the commodity of music, would not consume this commodity by consuming its use-value, as is the case with every other commodity. — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 440

Categorization

• QUESTION: This internal tension — Adorno’s inversion thesis vs. Marx’s definitional claim that commodities without use-value cannot exist — is worth chasing further in the secondary literature.
• XREF: The Marxian definition of commodity (use-value + exchange-value) as baseline against which Adorno’s claim strains. — connects to: Adorno’s ‘use-value-in-itself’ assumption departs from and contradicts Marxian theory — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 230; Adorno’s liberation aims beyond use-value to abolish value categories entirely — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 1347; Adorno and Horkheimer revised their culture-industry claim to avoid equating use-value with actual use — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 882 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Adorno’s ‘use-value-in-itself’ assumption departs from and contradicts Marxian theory #corroborates (0.95) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 230
• Adorno’s liberation aims beyond use-value to abolish value categories entirely #expands (0.80) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 1347