Adorno judged others’ work by its usable payoff, not doctrinal conformity.

Evidence

To judge Kracauer’s work, it seems to me to be inadequate simply to confront him with our own categories and to check to what extent he conforms to them. Rather, one must begin by assuming neither that Kracauer is definitely one of us in his theoretical attitudes, nor that he counts as a scholarly writer by virtue of his method of working. Under these conditions, it must be asked whether his work has anything to offer us which we can make use of, either journalistically or in the formation of our theory. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 649

Categorization

• XREF: Adorno’s pragmatic evaluation of theory for what it can offer connects to the reader’s broader Critical Theory reading on the Frankfurt School’s internal debates and editorial politics. — connects to: Adorno insisted on assessing outsiders by what they offer, not by their conformity.; Adorno judged Benjamin’s Marxism an unwitting productive misreading, not orthodoxy — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 297

Broader Connections

• Adorno judged Benjamin’s Marxism an unwitting productive misreading, not orthodoxy #exemplifies (0.92) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 297