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The Idea of a Critical Theory: Habermas and the Frankfurt School (Modern European Philosophy)
 
 
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The Idea of a Critical Theory: Habermas and the Frankfurt School (Modern European Philosophy) (Paperback)

by Raymond Geuss (Author) "The term 'ideology' is used in many different ways; this is at least partly due to the fact that social theorists have propounded theories of..." (more)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 116 pages
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press (30 Oct 1981)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0521284228
  • ISBN-13: 978-0521284226
  • Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14 x 1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 584,618 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #41 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Philosophy > Philosophers > More Philosophers > Habermas, Jurgen
    #87 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Philosophy > Schools of Thought > Pragmatism

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Product Description

Habermas and earlier members of the Frankfurt School have presented critical theory as a radically new form of knowledge. It is differentiated from the natural sciences as essentially ‘reflective’: the knowledge it provides guides us towards enlightenment as to our true interests, and emancipation from often unsuspected forms of external and internal coercion. Its first paradigms are in the writings of Marx and Freud. In this book Raymond Geuss sets out these fundamental claims and asks whether they can be made good. Is a science which does not simply describe and explain social phenomena, but also criticizes? The concept of ideology plays a crucial role in this discussion. Geuss carefully analyses it here, its relation to our beliefs and interests, and the account of truth and confirmation required by its critique and the concomitant goal of self-knowledge. The book does not presuppose acquaintance with the works of the Frankfurt School and can serve as a lucid introduction to their central, distinctive theses. But in its scrupulous and incisive consideration of these, and the modified support for them that emerges, it will also interest experts on critical theory and others concerned with the methods and purposes of the social sciences in general.
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The term 'ideology' is used in many different ways; this is at least partly due to the fact that social theorists have propounded theories of ideology in the course of trying to answer very different questions. Read the first page
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Ideas Of Critique, 7 Aug 2009
By Pablo K (London, UK) - See all my reviews
Raymond Geuss provides a short, but effective, examination of critical theory and its claims. The tone is sympathetic and the style analytical, and as such is something of a bridge between 'Anglo-American' philosophical style and 'continental' concerns (however false such antinomies are or should be). Strands of thought are divided, and then sub-divided again, with each possible interpretation interrogated for its logic and relevance. The concepts of ideology, interests, and critique are examined in turn and, since Geuss writes clearly, this cannot help but render some insights. The resulting typologies are useful enough. And the general conclusion - that critical theory can be more accomodated by empiricism than it thinks, but that it still has unique 'cognitive content' and a set of vital and legitimate concerns - is the right one, if a little bit undersold.

As an introduction, then, this remains an important work. But several problems arise that could have been resolved either by a deeper engagement with the more troubling questions or by a focus on the Frankfurt School as a whole, rather than just Habermas. Indeed, many apparent criticisms that arise in the first parts of the book are dissipated when Geuss gets round to talking about the historicist perspective of Adorno, which was far more foundational to critical theory than the work of Habermas, who somewhat departed from the early brand of situated emancipation. At other points, Geuss devotes too much attention to a justification of critical theory (such as supporting the view that it can be meaningful to talk of 'real interests' against 'false consciousness'), rather than plumbing the depths of what this could mean, or how problems within the perspective could be resolved. Having established that we can discuss such things, he moves on to other topics, without really developing the empiricist case of how we could tell real from false consciousness in practice.

A worthwhile and stimulating read, if not as comprehensive or challenging as it could have been.
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