Negativity and Difference: Adorno and Deleuze’s Philosophical Perspectives in the Kafkaesque World

Abstract

This essay aims to comparatively discuss the differences and similarities between the ideas on difference and identity put forth by two prominent Western thinkers of contemporary theories: Gilles Deleuze, a French philosopher, and Theodore Adorno, a German philosopher. Rather than a purely philosophical comparative study, this research focuses specifically on the comparison of both thinkers’ discussions of Kafka’s works. Adorno has been regarded as the philosopher of negativity, while Deleuze is seen as the philosopher of positivity and life. Although both philosophers perceive the world differently, they both strive to deconstruct Western ideas of identity in order to revive the concept of ‘difference.’ Identity and difference have been topics of extensive philosophical discussion and hold relevance in contemporary areas such as community, politics, and ethics. The essay begins by presenting the thoughts of Hegel and Heidegger on difference and identity, before delving into Adorno’s deconstruction of these ideas and his exploration of negativity as a means to disrupt identity. In comparison to Adorno, Deleuze develops the notion of difference itself as a pathway to the realm of becoming. The latter half of the essay compares both thinkers’ discussions of Kafka’s world: Adorno’s analysis of the Kafkaesque in light of non-identity, and Deleuze’s examination of minor literature and the concept of the line of flight.