Suchergebnisse

Gerard P. Heather & Matthew F. Stolz (see SA 29:4/81L7842), despite the value of their comments on Hannah Arendt, do not have an adequate understanding of critical theory, especially as presented by Jurgen Habermas. Habermas provides not an antithesis but a complement to Arendt's work. He offers a post-Wittgensteinian communicative theory of action that clarifies: the normative & pragmatic character of speech & political discourse; the historically contingent, possibly systematically distorted character of speech & political discourse; & the resulting practicalities & power of ideology & legislation. In Reply to Professor Forester, Gerard P. Heather & Matthew F. Stolz (San Francisco State U, Calif) argue that Habermas & Arendt are working in different traditions -- Arendt in political theory & Habermas in critical theory. Arendt is in a tradition of seeking political understanding at the level of political discourse, rather than that of philosophical discourse, in which critical theory seeks to ground politics. Key concepts differ between the two approaches. Modified HA.

The Marxist tradition's ability to serve as an adequate method of approaching social conditions is questioned, based on the analysis of the current world situation recently outlined by Rajni Kothari ("Survival in an Age of Transformation," Praxis International, 1983, 2, 4, Jan, 371-388). The Marxist critical tradition has been flawed in its consistent employment of a universalist conception of human existence, derived from its heritage in philosophical anthropology. This universalism has consistently blinded it to the actual, widely varying conditions of human existence, & has caused critical theorists to undervalue the importance of subjectively specific experiences, eg, those associated with racism, sexism, & other forms of oppression not directly accessible through Marxist theories of SC struggle. It is asserted that critical social theorizing must be revised to reflect an openness to the importance & authenticity of the particularities of varied social groups, based on universal acceptability, & finding expression in a praxis beginning with a stronger commitment to open dialogue. J. Weber.

Personal recollections of key representatives of critical theory (CT) are followed by its exposition, as formulated by Zigmunt Bauman ("Critical Theory" in Etzkowitz, Henry [Ed], Alternative Sociological Theories, St. Paul, forthcoming). It appears that one of CT's crucial problems is relativism -- eg, whether (Jurgen Habermas's) "emancipatory interest" is historical or universal. In contrast to Bauman, it can be seen as universal, though more often latent than conscious -- like Kurt H. Wolff's idea of surrender-&-catch (Surrender-and-Catch, Dordrecht & Boston, 1976). 'Surrender' is the most immediate contact possible with what one surrenders to when one changes from empirical to transcendental subject -- ie, being representative of humanity; the 'catch' is its result. Even without assuming the universality of the emancipatory interest, two other Habermasian interests -- the technical & practical -- refute relativism; these do it in the mundane sphere, while the others do it, phenomenologically speaking, in the reduced sphere. Readers are alerted to another feature of CT, especially in Theodor W. Adorno -- "the touch of the absolute" -- which reflects a Romantic component. Modified AA.

R. Bernstein (The Restructuring of Social and Political Theory, Oxford: Blackwell, 1976) offers a guide to the major contemporary theories about theorizing. Bernstein notes the great disparity between the insistence of social scientists on what theory is & their failure to produce it. He sees critical theory as the implicit goal of all the various developments in the social sciences embodying dissatisfaction with this condition, & with the impossibility of social criticism that evolves from it. However, Bernstein does not show how any standard of rationality can be created or achieved. While distinctions between fact, theory, & evaluation, which critical theory attacks, are problematic, their conflation is a step backward rather than forward. W. H. Stoddard.

The relevance of critical theory (CT) to contemporary social science is reexamined, based on a distinction between the period represented by Theodor W. Adorno's & Max Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment (New York, 1972), & the original concerns of CT in the 1930s with materialist social science. Objections to the historical view of Dialectic are raised, & it is asserted that CT's earlier period offers greater potential for current social scientific thought. Early CT's approach to economic structure, the political mediation of SC differences, the legal order, socialization, & culture are all examined. The continued validity of CT's original cultural insights -- formed as a critical response to the rise of National Socialism -- is questioned in view of a radically altered social environment; however, it is asserted that the continuing importance of CT is its insistence on social analysis that is reflexively responsive to the changing social & material historical context in which it is conducted. Therefore, to be relevant today, CT must be extended & developed rather than simply revived in its previous form. J. Weber.

In the confines of the study of politics, public policy analysis involves a shift from pure to applied research, thus intensifying the problem of the fact-value split inherited from positivist behavioralism. While early public policy literature concentrated on empirical policy-making processes, bypassing moral criteria, Duncan MacRae, Jr. (The Social Function of Social Science, Yale University Press, 1976) & Jurgen Habermas (Toward a Rational Society: Student Protest, Science, and Politics, Shapiro, Jeremy [Tr], Beacon Press, 1970; Legitimation Crisis, McCarthy, Thomas [Tr], Beacon Press, 1975) have elaborated on policy making & evaluation as a type of normative inquiry. According to Habermas, policy evaluation requires a critically reflective "practical discourse" open not only to experts or policy analysts but to the public at large. Such discourse is argued to be a valuable remedy for the technical-instrumental bent of applied science, but recovery of a fully noninstrumental "practical" judgment presupposes an evaluation not only of concrete policies but of the status of policy itself. Modified HA.

In a continuation of a discussion of Marxism in Eastern Europe (for Part One see SA 32:1/84N7019), it is suggested that the Czechoslovak model of the 1960s represents the only fully realized version of reform communism. The tactical errors that led to the Soviet suppression of this version were, however, derived from its theoretical weaknesses, especially its lack of a detailed analysis of Stalinism. Three of its ideas, however -- the scientific & technical revolution, the creation of a new political system, & the idea of self-management & socialist commodity production -- offered a basis for more basic & better founded reform proposals. In East Germany, contrastingly, both reform communism & Marxist dissent have been weaker movements; the neo-Leninism of Rudolf Bahro & the inverted Leninism of Gyorgy Konrad & Ivan Szelenyi both focus on "actually existing socialism," but in conceptually implausible ways. The theories that emerged in Hungary in the 1960s & 1970s also represent forms of reform communism. However, the concept of the dictatorship over needs, developed by the Budapest school, appears a promising basis for further analysis of the Eastern European situation & of real socialism. W. H. Stoddard.

A nonrepressive standpoint toward the natural habitat is crucially needed to reverse the developing trend toward ecological problems. The old reality of abundance is rapidly being supplanted by a new reality of scarcity, & critical theory must be revised to meet exigencies created by this change in the ecological sphere. The theories of J. Habermas which encompass empirico-analytic sciences in their relation to technical human interest in control are criticized with reference to ecological imperatives. Habermas' conviction of the necessity to control nature is questioned in that man & nature actually exist as one; the unity does not lend itself to a controller/controlled dichotomy. Ecological science must not be viewed as a manipulative force designed to dominate; a more holistic view must be adopted in which the nature/human relationship is honored. The natural sciences & techniques of advanced societies must be ecologically formulated. Ideals of freedom, liberation, & autonomy prove amenable to an ecological frame of reference: "social & natural emancipation codetermine each other"; however, the choice between domination & emancipation must be made by nature as well as by man. C. Grindle.

A major issue in the interpretation of Karl Marx is whether there is a break or a continuity between his earlier & later views. While the continued presence of Hegelian & Feuerbachian ideas in Marx's later work is clear, a different intellectual climate is evident between earlier & later works. Marx's later works focused on the creation of a critical theory of society, a four-phase project represented by differing works: the Economic & Philosophical Manuscripts, his writings of 1846/47, the Grundrisse, & Das Kapital. Different ideas are expressed in these on the method of the theory, the relation between theory & practice, & the aim of theoretical/practical activity & the postulated form of socialist society. W. H. Stoddard.

What Adorno means by critical theory & the sorts of claims he makes for critical theory in relation to other sociologists is discussed. An explanation of what Adorno means by the terms "concept" & "object" is given. According to Adorno, there are three ways of thinking: identity thinking, nonidentity thinking, & rational identity thinking. The ways of formation of his concepts in the cognition of society & in what sense they are theoretical & critical are analyzed. Attempts are made to assess whether critical theory is coherent & whether it provides a sociological perspective & methodology sui generis. This is done by showing the importance of the concept of 'reification' in Adorno's understanding, explaining its meaning, its role in the formation of other concepts. Adorno's criticism of sociologists who employ "total concepts" is contrasted with is own dependence on the concept of totality. In order to show Adorno's principles in action, his discussion of the concepts "static" & "dynamic" as sociological categories, & his discussion of the problem of value judgments & the concept of "value" are considered. G. Briskin.

Data on selective exposure to persuasive COMM's are critically reviewed in terms of the following hyp's: (1) COMM's mainly reach those who already agree with the position advocated; (2) people prefer supportive to nonsupportive information; (3) selectivity increases with greater cognitive dissonance; & (4) selectivity declines with greater confidence in one's own opinion. Most data support hypothesis (1), but the effect is minor & its documentation surprisingly weak. The evidence does not support the last 3 hyp's at all. Further res is advocated on factors that do affect exposure. Evidence on the effects of educ'al background, previous history of exposure, & information utility is discussed in this connection. AA.