The Postmodern as the Second Affirmative Turn in the Frankfurt School
摘要
Chapter 5 shows how, in the slipstream of Habermas’ demand for Critical Theory to justify itself vis-a-vis existing society, the postmodern turn in the Frankfurt School spread the allegation that critique and theory have never been justifiable. That is because critique, in this new postmodern world, is scorned for being ‘paternalistic’ if not ‘authoritarian’, and theory is accused of being ‘metaphysical’ if not ‘totalitarian’. Against these allegations, chapter 5 defends critique, theory and their dialectics in Critical (Marxist) Theory, thus refuting the self-postmodernisation of the Frankfurt School as a kind of ‘Post-Critical Post-Theory’.