non-language knowings

• Jane Bennett, in her work on new materialism, expands on Adorno’s idea of "non-language knowings", focusing on how certain forms of knowledge — those found in the material, sensory, and affective dimensions — resist linguistic articulation. This concept aligns with Adorno’s critique of over-rationalised systems of thought, which he felt could never fully grasp the richness and ambiguity of reality.

• Material Vibrancy: Bennett emphasises that objects and environments communicate through their materiality. Their "vibrancy" constitutes a form of knowledge that transcends language. For example, the feel of fabric or the hum of a machine conveys something irreducible to words.

• Affect as Knowing: Similar to Adorno’s view that music or art conveys truths beyond conceptual thought, Bennett argues that affective experiences (like awe or discomfort) carry insights that escape linguistic expression.

• Ethics of Non-Human Knowledge: Bennett suggests that acknowledging these "non-language knowings" can lead to a more ethical relationship with the non-human world, as it demands that we listen to what cannot be spoken.

• Theodor W. Adorno (1903–1969) was one of the most important philosophers, cultural, and music critics in Germany after World War II.

• Adorno’s "non-language knowings" focus on how art and aesthetic experience communicate truths that rational discourse cannot. He believed that art resists instrumental rationality and allows for a deeper, more intuitive understanding of the world.

• In essence, Bennett builds on Adorno by situating his ideas in the context of new materialism and emphasizing the vitality of the non-human and sensory dimensions as sources of wisdom. For both thinkers, language is a boundary, but experience — whether material or aesthetic — transcends it.