Hermeneutics, politics and culture of masses

For a contrast between W. Benjamin and T. W. Adorno

Abstract

To understand the specificity and the development of Adorno’s theoretical production, it is necessary to refer to W. Benjamin’s thought. This one exerted great influence on Adorno’s intellectual formation: on the way to an individual theoretical positioning, Adorno had to go through an intense discussion of central ideas developed by his friend. The present article exposes the different aspects of the confrontation between Adorno and Benjamin. First of all, the discussion about the meaning of the notion of “dialectical image” —a discussion which is based on a diverging vision of the messianic place in history. In second place, the discrepancy in the interpretation of the cultural realities: Benjamin’s pretension to interpret by means of constellations faces Adorno’s proposal of a dialectical interpretation sustained on the idea of mediation. Finally, the confrontation between their conceptions of the political meaning held by the cultural production in modern mass culture. Through the outlined exposition, a productive contrast between the theoretical projects of both authors is achieved.