Of Critical Theory and its Theorists, Oxford and Cambridge (Blackwell), 1994, 372 pp.

  • This volume by one of the US's foremost commentators on continental politics and philosophy offers provocative and unique interpretations of critical theory's most important representatives and seeks to reconstruct and assess critical theory's radical project. Specifically, the book aims to reinvigorate the interdisciplinary character of critical theory's original formulations by forging links between the fields of philosophy, aesthetics, politics, anthropology, history, and theology. The origins of critical theory are traced to the >Western Marxism< of Karl Korsch, who advocated a value-laden, critical, and interdisciplinary approach to social issues. A reading of Georg Lukac's writings on reification and alienation discusses why he failed to develop a genuine theory of praxis. Also treated are: the cosmopolitan utopianism of Ernst Block, Max Horkheimer's political and theoretical engagements, the alleged affinity of Martin Heidegger's thought with national socialism, and the messianic materialism of Walter Benjamin. Reflections also are offered on Bertolt Brecht's and Ernst Block's roles in the expressionism debate of the 1930s, Erich FROMM's experiences in the US and his perspective on socialism, the radicalism of Herbert Marcuse, and Jurgen Habermas's theory of communicative action. The book is presented in 15 Chpts: (1) Introduction. (2) Karl Korsch: Western Marxism and the Origins of Critical Theory. (3) Philosophical Anticipations: A Commentary on the >Reification< Essay of Georg Lukacs. (4) Utopian Projections: In Honor of Ernst Bloch. (5) Horkheimer's Road. (6) Ontology and Its Discontents: Unorthodox Remarks on the Philosophy of Martin Heidegger. (7) Reclaiming the Fragments: On the Messianic Materialism of Walter Benjamin. (8) Political Aesthetics in Retrospect: Reflections on the Expressionism Debate and Its Contemporary Relevance. (9) Dialectics at a Standstill: A Methodological Inquiry into the Philosophy of Theodor W. Adorno. (10) FROMM in America. (11) Remembering Marcuse. (12) The Anthropological Break: Herbert Marcuse and the Radical Imagination. (13) Left Instrumentalism: A Critique of Analytic and Rational Choice Marxism. (14) Jurgen Habermas and the Language of Politics. (15) Points of Departure: Sketches for a Critical Theory with Public Aims. References are encompassed in Chpt Notes. W. Howard

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Metadaten
Author:S. E. Bronner
Document Type:Books
Language:English
Year of first Publication:1994
Release Date:2012/12/13
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Bronner_S_E_1994
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Books / Bücher
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Books / Bücher
Licence (German):
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