Political philosophyLesson 1 of 1 in the course Contemporary Philosophies and Social Theories

Frankfurt School: Critical Theory, Historical Change, and Emancipatory Practice

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces the Frankfurt School, the historical circumstances in which it developed, and the central purpose of its critical theory. It also explains why its thinkers challenged the Enlightenment idea that knowledge and reason can be understood apart from society.

The Frankfurt School was a group of early twentieth-century German Marxist philosophers and social theorists associated with the Institute for Social Research at Goethe University in Frankfurt. Its ideas took shape amid political upheaval, including the socialist revolutions following World War I and the rise of the Nazi Party.

All flashcards

What is emancipation in critical theory?
Freeing people from oppressive forces and the beliefs that help sustain them.
What does Benjamin mean by the messianic?
A disruptive resistance that interrupts the apparent continuity of a dominant social order.
What is communicative action in Habermas’s account?
Dialogue through which people scrutinize beliefs, develop shared norms, and create pressure for change.
What is the public sphere in Habermas’s account?
Spaces and the collective realm where people discuss shared concerns outside formal state politics.
What is Freire’s critical pedagogy?
An approach to education that uses dialogue and questioning to challenge knowledge structures and support emancipation.

Quiz questions

  1. After leaving Germany in 1933, where did the Institute for Social Research move before becoming part of Columbia University?Answer: It moved first to Geneva and then to New York.
  2. Which is one task Horkheimer assigned to a plausible critical theory?Answer: Identify how social change might occur.
  3. How does Benjamin’s messianic disruption challenge dominant power?Answer: It interrupts the apparent continuity of the existing order.
  4. What did Frankfurt School thinkers reject in revising the Marxist dialectic?Answer: The claim that capitalism would inevitably give way to socialism.
  5. According to Freire, what should transformative education encourage?Answer: Dialogue and questions about the foundations of society.

Based on Introduction to Philosophy by Nathan Smith (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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