Language and Reification. Some Remarks on Wittgenstein and Critical Theory

In this paper I defend the claim that, contrary to common assumptions, a comparison between Adorno's and Wittgenstein's reflections on language is of use in the development of a linguistic transformation of Critical Theory. Wittgenstein's reflections can be brought into a fruitful dialogue with Adorno's remarks on the function of concepts. The concept of reification was for a long time the basic concept of a critical theory of society. Nowadays it seems to be discredited. Wittgenstein's approach to linguistic analysis makes it possible to use this concept in a new way.