Adorno and Horkheimer kept Benjamin’s corrupted-speech premise while stripping its theology.

Evidence

Adorno and Horkheimer, although eschewing the consciously theological underpinnings of Benjamin’s theory of language, did accept the notion that “pure” speech had been corrupted.” “Philosophy,” Horkheimer wrote in Eclipse of Reason, “is the conscious effort to knit all our knowledge and insight into a linguistic structure in which all things are called by their right names.” 34 The concept of truth in every genuine philosophy, he continued, is “the adequation of name and things.” 35 Once again, the reconciliation theme of Vernunft was at the root of Critical Theory’s utopian impulse. — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 789

Categorization

• XREF: Horkheimer’s ‘adeaquation of name and things’ directly echoes the reconciliation theme (Versöhnung) of Vernunft already traced earlier in this history — a repeating motif of the tradition. — connects to: Adorno broke with Benjamin by denying even a weak messianic power to history — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 837; Adorno’s final philosophy denied the achievability of salvation while keeping its standpoint — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 836; Adorno’s core concepts originate from Benjamin but his political economy developed against him — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 294

Broader Connections

• Adorno’s final philosophy denied the achievability of salvation while keeping its standpoint #expands (0.82) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 836
• Adorno’s core concepts originate from Benjamin but his political economy developed against him #expands (0.78) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 294
• Adorno broke with Benjamin by denying even a weak messianic power to history #qualifies (0.75) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 837