Individual autonomy shrinks as objectified labour displaces living labour.

Evidence

Contemporary society was an administered society' and an exchange society’. In the economy, as in other areas of society, individual autonomy was being increasingly restricted. Free competition between giant companies was being constantly reduced. The organic composition of capital was still increasingthat is, the proportion of objectified labour was increasing in comparison with that of living labour. At the same time, there was an increase in the organic composition of individuals themselvesthat is, the process that had begun by transforming labour-power into commodities was continuing as a growing reduction in the living proportion of subjects themselves in their dealings with things and people, both inside and outside the production process. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 570

Categorization

• DEFINE: Reconstructs Adorno and Horkheimer’s meaning of ‘administered society’ and the ‘organic composition’ of both capital and individuals.
• XREF: Connects to Marx’s organic composition of capital and to later Frankfurt-school critiques of instrumental reason.