Adorno modeled the non-identical on use-value, not derived use-value from it.

Evidence

In his essay ‘Rien ne va plus – Wolfgang Pohrts Theorie des Gebrauchswerts’ (‘NothingGoesAnymore–WolfgangPohrt’sTheoryof Use-Value’),99KoljaLindneraddressesthisapparentconflationof thenon-identicalanduse-valuewhen he comments that in Adorno’s work, use-value is incorrectly but nevertheless ‘consequently regarded as what does not let itself be subsumed under identity’. In fact, the situation is precisely the opposite. Adorno does not derive use-value from the non-identical, but rather takes the ‘use’ in Marx’s concept of use-value as a model for how his own concept of the non-identical should be understood.This certainly constitutes a derivation from Marx’s employment of the concept of use-value, in spite of Adorno’s claims to the contrary. However, this means neither that Adorno identifies the non-identical with use-value, nor that he lacks a specifically economic understanding of use-value. Rather, it appearshedoesnotconsiderthattheconceptof use-valueisonlyconditionally suited as a model of the non-identical. Insofar as use-value stands opposed to exchange-value as a non-quantifiable, purely qualitative element, it can indeed be viewed as occupying an analogous position to the non-identical in the latter’s relationship to the identical. That being said, use-value designates what is qualitative in commodities under capitalist relations of production, whereas the non-identical – an epistemological category – applies to all possibly conceivablethings,notonlytothosethingswhichfirstbecamecommoditiesunder capital. — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 1295

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes Marx’s economic use-value from Adorno’s epistemological non-identical, and shows their limits as analogies.
• XREF: Directly relevant to the book’s revisionist thesis: it shows Adorno’s economic grounding of the non-identical, against the standard purely-epistemological reading. — connects to: 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; Adorno’s use-value destruction thesis contradicts Marx’s commodity definition — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 440; Adorno’s liberation aims beyond use-value to abolish value categories entirely — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 1347

Broader Connections

• Adorno’s liberation aims beyond use-value to abolish value categories entirely #expands (0.75) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 1347
• Adorno’s use-value destruction thesis contradicts Marx’s commodity definition #contradicts (0.72) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 440