Adorno on the Autonomy of Art

"Autonomy of art" is emphasized in Western art since nineteenth century. The autonomy of art means: The development and existence of art should aim at beauty and art itself and not at the factors external to it, e.g. religious rituals, political propagandas or commercial profits. This thesis indicates artist's freedom of creation and the objective independence of the existence of art work. The emphasis on the autonomy of art is always the core of Adorno's aesthetics and philosophy of art. Some scholars, however, doubt the universalizability of this claim and Adorno's insistence on it. This paper tries to indicate: Adorno's claim on the autonomy of art, however, is not just a formal demand, but related to his philosophical stance, critique of Enlightenment and the promotion of humanity.