Abstract

Adorno and Castoriadis emphasize the significance of identity thinking to the social-historical constellation of capitalism. Adorno contends that the principle of identity constitutes the nucleus of the capitalist imaginary, because it underpins commodity exchange and the formal rationality of bureaucratic administration. Castoriadis associates the logic of identity with the same tendencies; but he accentuates the horizon of meaning that animates the deployment of this logic. Adorno and Castoriadis, however, recognise that the critique of identity logic confronts a genuine antinomy. Although it is integral to the capitalist imaginary, the logic of identity is present in every institution of society. Adorno’s and Castoriadis’ respective critiques of identity therefore pose questions about the ontological underpinnings of capitalism’s value system. After explicating Adorno’s and Castoriadis’ critiques of identity logic, I explore more recent interpretations of the permutations of the capitalist imaginary. These accounts of conflict, innovation and individualism diverge from Adorno and Castoriadis’ assessments of organised capitalism. Yet, this does not mean that Adorno’s and Castoriadis’ philosophical critiques of identity are no longer relevant, rather my analysis outlines some highly significant, though arguably often neglected, current capitalist instantiations of identity logic. Adorno’s negative dialectics paves the way for categorical reframing of political economy and Castoriadis’ interpretation of the capitalist imaginary has similarly inspired contrasting civilizational perspectives and demonstrates affinities with other conceptions of capitalist theology.