Author: M. Farahi Tojegi
A Brief Overview of the Frankfurt School (Part 5)
Extreme Pessimism
Although the attempt to reconstruct critical theory has a wide scope, it seems that the pessimistic approach of the founders of this school has somehow penetrated the nature of this school, and this makes our assessment of this school difficult. The book “Dialectic of Enlightenment” by Horkheimer and Adorno is a clear example of this approach, and a pessimistic image of reason is drawn in it, which later penetrates other aspects of collective life. Perhaps the proposal of categories such as “self-alienation” or “surrender to authoritarian governments” was not ineffective in the formation of this idea and its justification; but it must be admitted that even despite the many manifestations of authoritarianism or self-alienation in the history of the development of human societies, pessimism cannot show us a suitable way out. In other words, although pessimism can help “object to the status quo”, it cannot be the outliner of the ideal situation. Accordingly, it can be claimed that critical theory, when entering socio-political life, produces more negative energy as an analysis of society and its governing structure. [Eftekhari, 2017, p. 61]
Discursive complexity
If one of the advantages of effective theories is its fluent and easy-to-understand language, then it must be accepted that the critical school is devoid of this feature. In other words, the critical school is extremely complex, both in the field of thought and in the field of its expression. This makes it very difficult to attract and justify its audience; although perhaps part of this verbal complexity can be attributed to the type of selected topics; but ultimately it must be admitted that the critical school has not succeeded in reproducing itself in the form of a fluent and understandable discourse for the general elite, and this has made it difficult to understand, criticize, and correct it. [Eftekhari, 2017, p. 62]
Conclusion
Critical theory or the Frankfurt School has been used to refer to the intellectual and theoretical heritage of a group of prominent German intellectuals and their specific social theory. These intellectuals were directly or indirectly connected with the Institute for Social Research, which was founded in Frankfurt in 1923 with the capital of the industrialist Felix Weil and was affiliated with the University of Frankfurt, from which the movement later emerged known as Critical Theory.
The Frankfurters’ analysis of society largely goes back to the ideas and thoughts of Karl Marx. These theorists, drawing on Marx, emphasized the importance of the conflict of interests based on property relations, but were by no means orthodox Marxists. Many of them were harshly critical of the Soviet regime as a totalitarian political system. In order to analyze the phenomena resulting from the emergence of new socio-political conditions with greater intellectual power and stronger theoretical arguments, the followers of this school focused their efforts on two basic points:
First: revising the concept of Marx’s critique of the capitalist system;
Second: Reconsidering the Marxist theory of revolution.
However, the focal point of the thought and opinions of the Frankfurt School should be sought in critical theory, which is focused on examining, studying, analyzing, and explaining aspects of social reality that Marx and his followers either ignored or did not attach much importance to. In any case, despite the characteristics mentioned for it, the critical school is also subject to criticism. The formation of the phenomenon of “ambiguity of truth” that has arisen due to interdisciplinary theories. Ambiguity in social belonging, the involvement of critical theory with macro-positive principles and rules, the pessimistic approach of the clarifiers of this school, and theological complexity can be considered among the major criticisms that have been made of the Frankfurt School or critical theory.
References:
- Ahmadi, Babak (1933). Modernity and Critical Thought. Tehran: Markaz Adineh Book.
- Eftekhari, Asghar (196). Rereading the Critical School in the Social Sciences. Tehran: Imam Sadeq University.
- Kant, Immanuel (1932). Measuring Pure Reason. Soltani, Mir Shams al-Din Adib (translator). Tehran: Amir Kabir.
- Christian, Fuchs (1933). Critical Theory of Information. Mehdi, Shaghaghi (translator). Tehran: Chapar Publications.
- Nozari, Hossein Ali. (1936). Critical Theory and the Frankfurt School in the Social and Human Sciences. Tehran: Agah Publications.
