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Western Philosophy
20th century philosophy
Name
Max Horkheimer
Birth February 14, 1895 (Stuttgart, Germany)
Death July 7, 1973 (Nuremberg, Germany)
School/tradition critical theory
Main interests social theory, Counter-Enlightenment
Notable ideas Critical Theory, The Culture Industry, the Authoritarian Personality, Eclipse of Reason
Influenced by Kant, Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Weber, Freud, Pollock, Adorno
Influenced Adorno, Marcuse, Habermas, Honneth

Max Horkheimer (February 14, 1895 – July 7, 1973) was a German philosopher and sociologist, and a founder and guiding thinker of the Frankfurt School/critical theory. Western philosophy is a term that refers to philosophical thinking in the Western or Occidental world, as distinct from Eastern or Oriental philosophies See also [[Analytic philosophy]] and [[Continental philosophy]] The 20th century brought with it upheavals that produced a series of conflicting developments within Philosophy Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. In the Humanities and Social sciences, critical theory is the examination and critique of Society and Literature, drawing from knowledge across Social theory is an essential tool used by scholars in the analysis of society through the use of theoretical frameworks social structures and phenomena are analyzed and placed in context "Counter-Enlightenment" is a term used to refer to a movement that arose in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries in opposition to the eighteenth century Reason involves the ability to think understand and draw Conclusions in an Abstract way as in Human thinking Immanuel Kant (ɪmanuəl kant 22 April 1724 12 February 1804 was an 18th-century German Philosopher from the Prussian city of Königsberg Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (maks 'veːbɐ (21 April 1864 &ndash 14 June 1920 was a German political economist and sociologist who was considered Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Friedrich Pollock ( May 22, 1894 &ndash 1970 was a German Social scientist and Philosopher. Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund Adorno ( September 11, 1903 &ndash August 6, 1969) was a German -born international sociologist Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund Adorno ( September 11, 1903 &ndash August 6, 1969) was a German -born international sociologist Herbert Marcuse ( July 19, 1898 &ndash July 29, 1979) was a German philosopher and sociologist, and a member of Jürgen Habermas (ˈjʏʁgən ˈhaːbɐmaːs born June 18, 1929 is a German Philosopher and Sociologist in the tradition of Axel Honneth is a professor of philosophy at the University of Frankfurt Germany and director of the Institut für Sozialforschung ( Institute for Social Research) Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" The Frankfurt School is a school of neo-Marxist Critical theory, Social research, and Philosophy. In the Humanities and Social sciences, critical theory is the examination and critique of Society and Literature, drawing from knowledge across

Contents

Biography

Horkheimer was born in Stuttgart to an assimilated Jewish family. Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Due to parental pressure, he did not initially pursue an academic career, leaving secondary school at the age of sixteen to work in his father's factory. However, after World War I he enrolled at Munich University, where he studied philosophy and psychology. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München also known as LMU, is a University in Munich and with more Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and He subsequently moved to Frankfurt am Main, where he studied under Hans Cornelius. Johannes Wilhelm Cornelius (September 27 1863 &ndash August 23 1947 was a German neo-Kantian Philosopher. There he met Theodor Adorno, several years his junior, with whom he would strike a lasting friendship and a fruitful collaborative relationship. Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund Adorno ( September 11, 1903 &ndash August 6, 1969) was a German -born international sociologist

In 1925, Horkheimer was habilitated with a dissertation entitled Kant's Critique of Judgement as Mediation between Practical and Theoretical Philosophy written under Cornelius. Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a person can achieve by their own pursuit in certain European and Asian countries He was appointed Privatdozent the following year. Private docent (abbreviates PD or Priv-Doz) is a title conferred in some European university systems especially in German -speaking countries When the Institute for Social Research's directorship became vacant in 1930, he was elected to the position. The Institute for Social Research ( German: Institut für Sozialforschung) is a research organization covering topics such as Sociology In the same year Horkheimer took over the chair of social philosophy at Frankfurt University. The following year publication of the Institute's Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung began, with Horkheimer as its editor. [1]

Horkheimer venia legendi was revoked by the new Nazi government, and the Institute closed in 1933. Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a person can achieve by their own pursuit in certain European and Asian countries Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German He emigrated to Switzerland, from where he would leave for the USA the following year, where Columbia University hosted the Institute in exile. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. [2]

In 1940, Horkheimer received American citizenship and moved to Pacific Palisades, California, where his collaboration with Adorno would yield the Dialectic of Enlightenment. Pacific Palisades is a district within the US city of Los Angeles California, located between Brentwood to the east Malibu to the west California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Dialectic of Enlightenment (German Dialektik der Aufklärung) is the core text of Critical Theory explaining the socio-psychological status Unlike Adorno, Horkheimer was never a prolific writer and in the following twenty years he published little, although he continued to edit Studies in Philosophy and Social Science as a continuation of the Zeitschrift. In 1949 he returned to Frankfurt, where the Institute reopened in 1950. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Between 1951 and 1953 Horkheimer was rector of the University of Frankfurt. The word rector ("ruler" from the Latin regere and Rector meaning "Teacher" In Latin has a number of different meanings but all of them indicate an academic [3], where he continued to teach until his retirement in the mid-1960s.

He returned to America in 1954 and 1959 to lecture at the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago is a Private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. He remained an important figure until his death in Nuremberg in 1973.

Philosophy and writings

Eclipse of Reason

Horkheimer's book, Eclipse of Reason, deals with the concept of reason within the history of Western philosophy. Reason involves the ability to think understand and draw Conclusions in an Abstract way as in Human thinking Horkheimer defines true reason as rationality. Rationality as a term is related to the idea of Reason, a word which following Webster's may be derived as much from older terms referring to He details the difference between objective and subjective reason and states that we have moved from objective to subjective. Subjectivity refers to a subject's perspective particularly feelings beliefs and desires Objective reason deals with universal truths that dictate that an action is either right or wrong. Subjective reason takes into account the situation and social norms. Social norms have been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values beliefs attitudes and behaviors Actions that produce the best situation for the individual are "reasonable" according to subjective reason. The movement from one type of reason to the other occurred when thought could no longer accommodate these objective truths or when it judged them to be delusions. A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed False Belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false fanciful or derived from Deception Under subjective reason, concepts lose their meaning. The term "concept" is traced back to 1554–60 ( l conceptum - something conceived but what is today termed "the classical theory of concepts" is the theory of Aristotle All concepts must be strictly functional to be reasonable. Because subjective reason rules, the ideals of a society, for example democratic ideals, become dependent on the "interests" of the people instead of being dependent on objective truths. An ideal is a Principle or value that one actively pursues as a goal. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system

Writing in 1941, Horkheimer was strongly influenced by the Nazi legacy in Germany. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. He outlined how the Nazis had been able to make their agenda appear "reasonable", but also issued a warning about the possibility of this happening again. Horkheimer believed that the ills of modern society are caused by misunderstanding of reason: if people use true reason to critique their societies, they will be able to solve problems they may have. A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions

Select bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ Biography of Horkheimer at Marxists.org
  2. ^ Biography of Horkheimer at MIT Press
  3. ^ Biography of Horkheimer at University of Haifa

External links


Persondata
NAME Horkheimer, Max
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION German sociologist, philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH February 14, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Stuttgart, Germany
DATE OF DEATH July 7, 1973
PLACE OF DEATH Nuremberg, Germany
Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
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