Horkheimer and Adorno rejected orthodox Marxism as masochistic and outdated for social critique.

Evidence

This global political diagnosis corresponded to Horkheimer’s and Adorno’s views. The plea for a defence of orthodox Marxist doctrine', and the uninhibited use of the words socialism’, communism' and capitalism’, however, was certain to displease the authors of the Philosophical Fragments in two ways: first, because in their view an uncompromising profession of belief in orthodox Marxism was equivalent to masochism; secondly, because they were convinced that the principal elements of a critique of society had in the meantime come to differ from those of Marxist doctrine. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1665

Categorization

• XREF: This directly illuminates their shift into the esoteric Dialectic of Enlightenment style — theory that no longer named capitalism by its orthodox Marxist name. — connects to: Horkheimer and Adorno came to regard orthodox Marxist profession as masochism; Adorno and Horkheimer rejected immediacy and Hegel’s identity of subject and object. — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 258; Adorno and Horkheimer rejected all optimistic philosophies of history including Marxism. — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 800 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Adorno and Horkheimer rejected all optimistic philosophies of history including Marxism. #expands (0.85) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 800
• Frankfurt theorists rejected socialism as a necessary outgrowth of capitalism. #expands (0.80) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 294
• Horkheimer rejected vulgar Marxists’ passive materialism by reviving Marx’s active, dialectical epistemology #expands (0.80) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 219
• Adorno and Horkheimer rejected immediacy and Hegel’s identity of subject and object. #expands (0.78) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 258
• Horkheimer and Neumann grounded incompatible versions of Marxism. #qualifies (0.72) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1178