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Critical theoryCritical theory, in sociology and philosophy, is shorthand for critical theory of society or critical social theory, a label used by the Frankfurt School (i.e. members of the Institute for Social Research of the University of Frankfurt, their intellectual and social network, and those influenced by them intellectually), to describe their own work, oriented toward radical social change, in contradistinction to "traditional theory," i.e. theory in the positivistic, scientistic, or purely observational mode. In literature and literary criticism, by contrast, "critical theory" means something quite different, namely theory used in criticism. Although the original critical social theorists were Marxists and there is some evidence that in their choice of the phrase "critical theory of society" they were in part influenced by its sounding less politically controversial than "Marxism", nevertheless there were substantial substantive reasons for this choice. First, they were explicitly linking up with the "critical philosophy" of Immanuel Kant, where the term "critique" meant philosophical reflection on the limits of claims made for certain kinds of knowledge and a direct connection between such critique and the emphasis on moral autonomy. In an intellectual context defined by dogmatic positivism and scientism on the one hand and dogmatic "scientific socialism" on the other, critical theory meant to rehabilitate through such a philosophically critical approach an orientation toward revolutionary agency, or at least its possibility, at a time when it seemed in decline. Second, in the context of both Marxist-Leninist and Social-Democratic orthodoxy, which emphasized Marxism as a new kind of positive science, they were linking up with the implicit epistemology of Karl Marx's work, which presented itself as critique, as in Marx's "Capital: a critique of political economy", wanting to emphasize that Marx was attempting to create a new kind of critical analysis oriented toward the unity of theory and revolutionary practice rather than a new kind of positive science. In the 1960s, Jürgen Habermas raised the epistemological discussion to a new level in his "Knowledge and Human Interests", by identifying critical knowledge as based on principles that differentiated it either from the natural sciences or the humanities, through its orientation to self-reflection and emancipation. The term "critical theory", in the non-literary-criticism sense, now loosely groups all sorts of work, e.g. that of the Frankfurt School, Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, queer theory, and feminist theory, that has in common the critique of domination, an emancipatory interest, and the fusion of social/cultural analysis, explanation, and interpretation with social/cultural critique. Notable figures in critical theory:
What are our priorities for writing in this area? To help develop a list of the most basic topics in Critical Theory, please see Critical Theory basic topics. This article is adapted from from Wikipedia All Wikipedia article text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License Critical Chain by Eliyahu M. Goldratt The Middle Mind : Why Americans Don't Think for Themselves by Curtis White Teachers As Cultural Workers: Letters to Those Who Dare Teach (Edge. Critical Studies in Educational Theory) by Paulo Freire Critical Mass : How One Thing Leads to Another by Philip Ball The Penguin Dictionary of Critical Theory by David Macey A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature by Wilfred L. Guerin Introducing Critical Theory by Stuart Sim Spaces of Hope (California Studies in Critical Human Geography, 7) by David Harvey Gilles Deleuze (Routledge Critical Thinkers) by Claire Colebrook Games and Decisions : Introduction and Critical Survey by R. Duncan Luce Postmodern Geographies: The Reassertion of Space in Critical Social Theory by Edward W. Soja Critical Race Theory: An Introduction by Richard Delgado Social Justice/Criminal Justice: The Maturation of Critical Theory in Law, Crime, and Deviance by Bruce A. Arrigo Learning as Transformation : Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress by Jack Mezirow and Associates Social Capital: Critical Perspectives by Stephen Baron Recent Critical_theory related patents From USPTO: 5730608: Surface mount electrical tabs 5695348: Surface mount electrical contacts 5632629: Mount electrical connectors 3947186: Eye-test lens and method |