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Critical TheoryBy Max Horkheimer
Mette Nielsen and Stefan Gulipac
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Agenda
Why Critical Theory?
Critical Theory
Bibliography
Horkheimers work
Max Horkheimer
Ontology
Epistemology
Methodology
Strength and Weakness
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Why Critical Theory? The purpose and the
aim of the theory
To liberate human beings from the
circumstances that enslave them
To Provide the means to achieve human emancipation
(normative aspect of the theory)
To direct positive changes of society that would be focused
by historical and political experience of the time
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Critical Theory
The works of Critical Theory were
inspired by the ideologies of Marxism
and Freuds psychoanalysis
The goal was to make a theory about
the relation of capitalistic economy,
society, psychology and culture
The theory is critical towards the societyand theories about the
society. Critical
for the positivism methods
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Max Horkheimer : Bibliography
Born on 14th of February 1895
German philosopher and sociologist
In October 1931 was made the director of Institute of Social
Research in Frankfurt
In 1931 Horkheimer outlined the framework of an
interdisciplinary critical social scientific programme
1933-1949 Being in exile in Switzerland, and USA
Died in 1973 on the 7th of July
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Max Horkheimer: His Work
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Ontology
Assumes that there is a reality.
This is a reality created and
shaped by social, political,
cultural, economic, ethnic and
gender based forces that have
been reified or crystallized over
time in social structures that
are taken to be natural or real.
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Epistemology
The epistemology of critical theory is a combination of
historical
materialism, Freudian psychoanalysis and hermeneutics. What can
be
known is inextricably tied to the interaction between a
particular
investigator and a particular object or group.
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Methodology
It is based on the dialectical
approach between theory and
empirical research
Established an interdisciplinary
programme of research
The theories has to be formulated
through dialogue throughcommunication
Empirical material is always treated
as a mean and never as a goal itself
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Methodology
Commitment to bring together theory with
both quantitative and qualitative research
Critical theorists are not just trying to describea situation
but tries to challenge the guiding
assumptions and tries to change the situation
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Strength and Weakness
Critical Theory issuggesting an
understandable
methodology
The Criticaltheory is
reproducing the
idealist
utopian
positions
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