INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL THEORY:: Horkheimer to Habermas

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: David Held

• Language: English

• Edition: 2018

• ISBN: 9788131609651

• Pages: 512

• Cover: Hardcover

About the Book
Introduction to Critical Theory: Horkheimer to Habermas offers a comprehensive and accessible guide to the key ideas of the Frankfurt School, focusing on critical theorists such as Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, and Jürgen Habermas. Their works were pivotal in shaping radical movements in the 1960s and 1970s and became integral to the Marxism of the New Left.

David Held delves into the major themes of critical theory, offering insightful analysis and evaluations. The book traces the relationship between critical theory and Marx’s critique of political economy, Freudian psychoanalysis, and aesthetics. It discusses the role of critical theory in the analysis of capitalism, culture, family, and individualism, while also addressing its contributions to epistemology and methodology.

Held provides a detailed breakdown of critical theory, including:

• The formation and development of the Institute of Social Research, which laid the foundation for the Frankfurt School.

• The critique of instrumental reason and its connection to the philosophy of history.

• An in-depth exploration of Horkheimer’s, Adorno’s, and Marcuse’s epistemology and methods, with specific focus on negative dialectics and theory-practice relations.

• Habermas’s ideas on discourse, science, society, and the reformulation of critical theory’s foundations.

This work is essential for anyone seeking to understand the complex theories of the Frankfurt School and their lasting impact on social theory, political science, and radical thought.

Contents

• Introduction

• Part One: Critical Theory: The Frankfurt School

  1. The Formation of the Institute of Social Research

  2. Class, Class Conflict, and the Development of Capitalism: Critical Theory and Political Economy

  3. The Culture Industry: Critical Theory and Aesthetics

  4. The Changing Structure of the Family and the Individual: Critical Theory and Psychoanalysis

  5. The Critique of Instrumental Reason: Critical Theory and Philosophy of History

  6. Horkheimer’s Formulation of Critical Theory: Epistemology and Method 1

  7. Adorno’s Conception of Negative Dialectics: Epistemology and Method 2

  8. Marcuse’s Notions of Theory and Practice: Epistemology and Method 3

• Part Two: Critical Theory: Habermas
  9. Introduction to Habermas
  10. Discourse, Science, and Society
  11. Interests, Knowledge, and Action
  12. The Reformulation of the Foundations of Critical Theory

• Part Three: The Importance and Limitations of Critical Theory
  13. An Assessment of the Frankfurt School and Habermas
  14. The Concept of Critical Theory

About the Author
David Held is a renowned political scientist, currently serving as the Graham Wallas Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He has made significant contributions to political theory and global governance, and his work on critical theory has been influential in both academic and political circles.