Horkheimer’s dispute with Neumann centered on optimism about capitalism’s contradictions.

Evidence

If there exists any real theoretical difference between us, it pertains to the optimism which you show not only with regard to the question of better administration but also to some of the deeper lying issues of society itself, such as the inherent and insoluble antagonisms of state capitalism and also to some anthropological issues, e.g. the one mentioned in your offense memorandum', namely the impossibility of a long-term existence of the split personality’. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 312

Categorization

• XREF: Directly restages the Neumann–Kirchheimer optimist/pessimist debate on whether Nazism could overcome capitalism’s inner antagonisms. — connects to: Neumann met the state-capitalism pessimists by pointing to deepening industrial contradictions. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 312; Capitalism may resolve its internal contradictions by making them tolerable rather than ending them — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the…, 161; Neumann held the productivity-for-welfare versus destruction contradiction would eventually turn the masses (+2 more)
• DEFINE: Fixes the technical sense of ‘split personality’ in the Institute’s vocabulary as the psychic rift produced by modern society.
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Neumann met the state-capitalism pessimists by pointing to deepening industrial contradictions. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 312; Capitalism may resolve its internal contradictions by making them tolerable rather than ending them — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the…, 161; Neumann held the productivity-for-welfare versus destruction contradiction would eventually turn the masses (+2 more)