Abstract
Two contrasting themes, destiny and promise, characterize the positions of Max Weber and Theodor W. Adorno. Both share basic concerns about the nature and tendencies of modern societies, marked by the nation state in the political sphere, by rationally organized private organizations in the economic sphere, and by the predominance of private enterprises in the sphere of production and distribution of forms of cultural content. In response to the analytic problems involved, both focus attention - from different and incompatible angles - on the meaningful dimension of social processes. This article argues that despite these approximations and the frequent argument that Adorno is heavily indebted to Weber, both confront similar problems through distinct languages, based on equally distinct premises with no direct translation between them. Some implications of this are examined.
Keywords:
Social theory; German sociology; Max Weber; Theodor Adorno