The Frankfurt School and Critical Theory

Philosophy in Review, 2013

The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Theory, 2017

The early Frankfurt School's theoretical tendency is best described as Western Marxism, while its institutional origin was the Institute of Social Research (Institut für SoziaIforschung), founded in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1923. Marx's influence on the early Frankfurt School was profound, uneven, and largely filtered through a revived Hegelian Marxism that broke with the economistic and mechanistic doctrines of the Second International ( 1889-1916). From the beginning, the members and financiers of the Institute explicitly understood its research program as Marxist, although there was no general agreement about what it meant to be Marxist. A few years before the Institute's founding, Georg Lukacs wrote: "Great disunity has prevailed even in the 'socialist' camp as to what constitutes the essence of Marxism," and who has "the right to the title of , Marxist'" (Lukacs 1971: 1). The competing Marxist tendencies in the early twentieth century informed both the internal development of the Institute of Social Research and the contours of Western Marxism more generally.... In the following, I trace Marx's influence on the development of the early Frankfurt School, making explicit the Marxist dimensions of its cultural critique, its dialectical, historical, and materialist methods, as well as the role of praxis and class in its critical social theory. I begin by outlining the general characteristics of Western Marxism, before contrasting them with the deterministic doctrines of the Second International and Soviet Marxism. I then examine the Marxist heritage of the Institute of Social Research's influential and programmatic texts of the 1930s, beginning with Horkheimer's inaugural address of 1931. Although I briefly discuss the work of Institute members such as Henryk Grossmann, Leo Lowenthal, and Erich Fromm, my focus is primarily on the work of Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and Herbert Marcuse.

Fast Capitalism, 2009

The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Theory, 2017

The early Frankfurt School's theoretical tendency is best described as We stern Marxism, while its institutional origin was the Institute of Social Re search (Institut fur SoziaIJorschtmg), founded in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1923. Marx's influence on the early Frankfurt School was profound, uneven, and largely fil tered through a revived Hegelian Marxism that broke with the cconomistic and mechanistic doctrines of the Second International (1889-1916).' From the beginning, the members and financiers of the Institute explicitly understood its research program as Marxist, although there was no general agreement about what it meant to be Marxist. A few years before the Institute's founding, Georg Lukacs wrOte: "Great disunity has prevailed even in the 'socialist' camp as to what constitutes the essence of Marxism," and who has "the right to the title of , Marxist'" (Lukacs 1971: 1). The competing Marxist tendencies in the early twentieth century informed both the internal development of the Institute of Social Re search and the contours of We stern Marxism more generally.2 'The International Workingmen's Association was founded in London, England in 1864 as an organization of Left labor and socialist partics. Karl Marx attcndcd the founding mecting and subsequently wrote the "In:lUgural Address of the International Working Men's Association" that same year (Marx 1864). The First International, as it would latcr be called, split in 1872 and dis solved in 1876 due in large part to the irresolvable differences between the communalist/anarchist and Marxist/statist groups. The Second International was founded in 1889. 2 One could say that Marxism was born shortly before Marx's death in 1883, but Marx found its first interpretation disagreeable. "What is certain is that I am not a Marxist," he purportedly said

The Frankfurt School of philosophical thought was started from The Institut für Sozialforschung (Institute of Social Research). In the beginning, the School and the Institute were indistinguishable. The Institute was started as part of the University of Frankfurt in Germany. The Institute was established in 1923 by Felix Weil, and was able to function with considerable autonomy. Carl Grünberg was director of the Institute from 1923-1929. Grünberg was an avowed Marxist and made Marxism the theoretical basis of the Institute's program. The Institute did not have any official party affiliations, however. Grünberg stressed the importance of the historical context of meaning and results to research. Max Horkheimer assumed control of the Institute in 1930. Horkheimer emphasized the relationship between social philosophy and science. His main focus was interdisciplinary study. Like Grünberg, Horkheimer believed that Marx's theory should be the basis of the Institute's research.

History of European Ideas, 1983

In Marx’s Laboratory. Critical Interpretations of the Grundrisse, 2013