Max Horkheimer. Traditional and Critical Theory (1937)

Max Horkheimer

Traditional and Critical Theory (1937)

1041428701 - Sociology and Critical Theory in the Twentieth Century 2023

Ekaterina vodopianova

Max Horkheimer,

a celebrated German philosopher and sociologist, gained recognition for his notable advancements in critical theory as a prominent figure within the Frankfurt School. Through thorough dialectic, philosophical and cultural examination, Horkheimer delved into subjects encompassing authoritarianism, militarism, economic upheavals, alienation (term. of K. Marx) the impoverishment of mass culture. These profound investigations became the foundational pillars of critical theory, a field of thinking significantly shaped by his influential contributions.

• Initiating an essay on Max Horkheimer's Traditional and Critical theory seems appropriate, based on the idea expressed in another seminal work of his, "Dialectic of Enlightenment" (co-authored with Adorno, 1947). This question, seems, can be regarded as a conceptual core and one of the most significant philosophical legacies of the 20th century to the century of 21st. It was formulated during the Second World War and remains unanswered to this day: How did modern, enlightened, freedom-seeking, and egalitarian societies give rise to new forms of domination and barbarism? How did enlightenment lead to enslavement? Horkheimer proposed the notion of "reinventing freedom" within the context of the totality of the modern world, laying the foundation for his critical theory.

• It is worth mentioning briefly that Horkheimer's program article "Traditional and Critical Theory" from 1937 served as the basis for various contemporary research directions such as cultural studies, queer theories, political correctness, new ethics, ecological movements, gender studies, and more.

• Now, let us turn directly to the discussion of Critical and Traditional Theory

• In this essay, Horkheimer aims to delineate the distinctions between traditional and critical theories. Traditional theory refers to a type of theory commonly found in the natural sciences, although Horkheimer asserts that it has permeated other domains as well.

• Horkheimer developed the concept of a particular kind of theoretical knowledge characterized by interdisciplinary approaches and socio-political engagement. He thus set out to construct a social multidisciplinary theory with an emphasis on the integrating role of philosophical reflection

• Critical theory, gradually crystallizing in parallel with European philosophy, was oriented towards justifying the important role of truth and the dangers of ideology. Ideology, synonymous with power, utilizes various forms (culture, myths, art, etc.) to propagate false consciousness.

• Traditional theory can be understood as a theory of the status quo, as it is designed to enhance productivity and the functioning of the world as it currently exists.

• In contrast, critical theory is characterized as "a theory dominated at every turn by a concern for reasonable conditions of life". (p.199)

• A key element of ideology critique lies in Kant's critical philosophy, aimed at understanding the conditions of possibility for knowledge. Horkheimer seemingly believed that Hegel assigns the ultimate role to the global historical process, which is objective, while Kant, on the contrary, allows for ambiguity, ambivalence, and subjectivism.

• However, contrary to Kant, Horkheimer wrote that "Reason cannot become transparent to itself as long as men act as members of an organism which lacks reason" (p.208). Furthermore, if the true realm of humanity is governed by reason, critical thought must position itself in opposition to the capitalist world, which dictates all aspects of human life.

• Unlike Kant and Descartes, Horkheimer emphasizes the social context of the discursive subject, "The new dialectical philosophy, however, has held on to the realization that the free development of individuals depends on the rational constitution of society." (p.246)

• The task of a theorist is to formulate critique against defenders of the status quo as well as against "distracting, conformist, or utopian tendencies within its own ranks." As critical theorist is themselves a member of the society they critique, they must still be capable of perceiving their own existence as part of the social totality (selbst-Bewusstsein) argue Horkheimer.

• Horkheimer clearly and unambiguously pointed to the genetic roots of his epistemological model. By characterizing the type of thinking and theoretical activity he proposed as "critical," he primarily understood this characteristic in the sense of Marx's "critique of political economy."

• Critical theory represents a form of revolutionary politics. Firstly, it implies that, unlike conventional functional politics, it stimulates the transcendence of the social status quo.

• Secondly, critical theory, not needing to be supplemented by external it types of social action, is itself a form of real political practice. It shapes an open identity among its recipients, akin to a sublimated revolution, and guides them towards reflexively appropriating alienated social forms and, thus contributes to the development of sponsorship of proactivity.

• The concrete image of a "bright future," emphasized by Horkheimer, is deemed impossible. "The goal that critical thinking seeks to achieve - a rational state - is rooted, indeed, in the disastrous condition (in der Not) of contemporary society. However, the image of its overcoming has not yet been given with this disastrous state." Nevertheless, the abstract idea of an emancipated society encompasses normative content that maintains its significance amidst the continuously changing historical situation.

• Horkheimer emphasized the fundamental importance of the philosophical framework of Critical social theory, as its aim is to develop a depiction of modern society based on an understanding (the knowledge) of the social process in its entirety.

• By serving as a form of integration among the social sciences, critical social theory maintains its epistemological distinctiveness in relation to them. Despite the interaction between critical theory and the specialized sciences, upon which it must constantly rely for progress... its goal is "never aims simply at an increase of knowledge as such" (p. 246) , but rather the emancipation of individuals from oppressive relationships: "Its goal is man's emancipation from slavery" (ibid)

• Interestingly, from a particular perspective, Horkheimer's theory also predates posthumanist theories. For instance, Donna Haraway's ideas (see for exm. "Camille Stories", Haraway 2016, p. 140) about the social organization as inseparable from the world of nature and derivatives of human intelligence (such as AI, for example). In a sense, Horkheimer denies any involvement in the division between the human world and the natural world, insisting that the forms of capitalist world culture, based on struggle and suppression, do not represent evidence of a unified self-conscious will.

• Consequently, one can conclude that the concern for social justice is, in a way, another sense of purpose and development in Critical theory. "The future of humanity depends on the existence of a critical mindset today," concludes Horkheimer

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