Critical Theory’s Philosophy

Abstract

Critical Theory has an uneasy relationship to philosophy, and it is a complex question whether it constitutes a philosophical position at all: it both aims to leave philosophy behind and insists on the need for it.On the one hand, Critical Theory stands in the tradition of Marx (and Engels), in a commitment to a truly interdisciplinary approach, and in some authors (such as Adorno) it even leads to a certain anti-philosophical stance, where partisanship is not philosophically grounded and the very idea of a philosophical system is seen as anathema.1 There is some controversy around attributing this claim to Marx and Engels insofar as this passage is crossed out in the manuscript -it is an open and contestable issue whether this reflects that they dropped the claim on reflection or merely decided against bringing it in at this particular point in the text.