The critical theory of society: From its Young-Hegelian core to its key concept of possibility

Abstract

Responding to a call for systematic contributions on the theory of society, the principle aim of this article is to recover and reconstruct the Young-Hegelian core of critical theory’s theory of the dialectical development of society and, on that basis, to project its creative research-based continuation by analysing its largely neglected key concept of possibility. The acknowledgement of the critical theory lineage’s naturalist, realist and especially idealist features leads this reconstruction to ascribe a central role to certain pivotal concepts that deserve special attention – including nature, the construction of society, evolution, immanent–transcendence and the conceptual conditions or cognitive order of society. A side effect of this theoretical exposition is the exposure in the course of the argument of certain weaknesses often visible in the contemporary articulation of the theory of society in both critical theory and general social theory. Conceptual solutions to those deficiencies are simultaneously presented in a form appropriate to critical theory’s modal-based negative explanatory and positive disclosing critique.

Populism and critical theory: On Arato and Cohen

“…In the distinction between a meta-conceptual conditioning level of transcendently operating cognitive principles and a convergent level of conditioned ideals (Strydom 2023), the overarching frame of cultural structure has already been described. But the conditioned also offers below the level of ideal (the first immanent conditioned level) further levels of (a) semantic-pragmatic and (b) institutional cultural models, (c) positional schemata of actors, and finally (d) abductive variation on positional schemata in the light of new situations (schematisation).…”

“…These principle are capacities that enable the continuation of immanent thinking in a variety of registers, for example, legitimacy, legality, freedom, publicity, plurality, beyond what already counts as knowledge, employing the frame of what in critical theory is understood as ‘excess’ or ‘surplus’. Such cognitive principles are formed through socio-cultural evolution and are part of the organic endowment of human individuals and the cultural endowment of collective human social forms (Strydom 2023). O’Mahony along similar lines has advanced an account of reasoning and validity.…”

Towards a sociology of the future: An exploration in cognitive social theory

“…In between the brain-mind on the one hand and the cognitive order on the other, both the meso- and macro-level structures play vital roles in the selection, firming up and mediation of meso-level ‘engaged’ and macro-level ‘counterfactual possibilities’ (Strydom, 2023, pp. 167, 171) that contribute to the openness of the future.…”

“…Their impact in this respect is particularly telling in their respective contributions to the formation of the ideals inspiring goal-directed actions (see Figure 1 above). It should be noted that what is so significant about ideals in relation to the openness of the future, is that they, like the meta-level structures, harbour a surplus of potential that prevents their meaning and form-giving power from ever being exhausted (Strydom, 2023, pp. 172–173).…”

“…Social-theoretically, this means that the infinite openness represented by the cognitive order ultimately discharges into the continuum – which means that it is implicated in the space-time continuum. On potential and actual infinity, see Strydom (2023).…”