The Three Contexts of Adorno's Discourse on the Development of Production Forces -- Comments Based on Marx's Perspective

Abstract

diverse. First, influenced by Marx, Adorno endorses the thought that, from a technological perspective, the unleashed production forces provide the possibility for men to engage in “contemplation without inhumanity” and are conducive to the substantial happiness of human Abstract: Adorno is frequently engaged in dialogue with Marx when examining the unleashing of production forces, which, in his writings, Adorno presents mainly in three contexts. First, Adorno affirms, from a technological perspective, that the unleashed production forces lay the material foundation for “contemplation without inhumanity”, which provides the possibility for human liberation. For this possibility to become a reality, Adorno states further, all exploitative systems must be eliminated absolutely. Secondly, Adorno cogitates on productivity in the interrelationship between production forces and production relationships. Based on his study of late capitalist society which he regards as “all of a piece”, Adorno argues that production forces have been reduced to a defender to preserve capitalist relationships, rather than performing a revolutionary role. However, as evidenced by the law of declining rate of general profit, the micro-foundation of the essential contradiction of historical materialism, the development of production forces remains the underlying obstacle that cannot be overcome by capitalist production relationships. Finally, Adorno criticizes Marx for not going beyond industrialism; while, he endorses the abolition of production for production’s sake and the primacy of practice. However, Adorno is guilty of the intellectual error of simply equating productivism, the primacy of practice, and industrialism.