Arnold Farr

Abordaré la crítica de Axel Honneth a la primera Escuela de Frankfurt y su aparente omisión de Herbert Marcuse. Defenderé a Marcuse contra algunas de las críticas hechas por Honneth a la teoría crítica temprana de la Escuela de Frankfurt. Luego argumentaré que Marcuse siempre estuvo en busca de una subjetividad radical, incluso cuando advirtió contra los mecanismos unidimensionales en curso de producción de sujetos. Finalmente, mostraré que Honneth también construye su proyecto en torno a la búsqueda de una subjetividad radical, pero aborda el problema a través de una teoría de la intersubjetividad que complementa el proyecto de Marcuse.

I will address Axel Honneth’s critique of the early Frankfurt School and his apparent omission of Marcuse. I will defend Marcuse against some of the criticisms of early Frankfurt School critical theory made by Honneth. I will then argue that Marcuse was always in search of radical subjectivity, even as he warned against the ongoing one-dimensional mechanisms of subject production. Finally, I will show that Honneth also builds his project around the search for radical subjectivity but approaches the problem through a theory of intersubjectivity which complements Marcuse’s project.

In this paper I will examine the ways in which concepts and ideas that are used for emancipatory purposes eventually backfire and are used to perpetuate systems of domination. Part of my argument will be based on Herbert Marcuse’s essay “Repressive Tolerance.” In this essay, Marcuse examines the way in which the concept of tolerance, which has its origin in the struggle for liberation, is used by members of dominant social groups to advocate for tolerance of their oppressive views. Following Marcuse’s lead, I will argue that almost all emancipatory ideas, particularly diversity and color-blindness in this context, can be co-opted by the dominant social group and used to further domination. I will argue that even our best emancipatory concepts are formed within the context of a hegemonic discourse that alters their meaning and use.

In the late twentieth century, philosophy seems to be in the midst of a crisis from which it may never recover. Many philosophers have announced the end of philosophy. For example: Richard Rorty claims that philosophy is nothing more than "edifying discourse." At the center of the crisis in philosophy is the crisis of reason. Not only has reason's potential for discovering truth been challenged, reason has also been charged with establishing and maintaining oppressive social structures. However, the attack on reason in the twentieth century is not the first crisis that reason has faced. ;In the eighteenth century Immanuel Kant responded to a crisis of reason by providing a critique of pure reason whereby the limits and proper employment of reason could be discovered. Kant's investigation revealed that there are two distinct employments of reason, which although distinct must, nevertheless, form a unity. It was the perceived failure of Kant's attempt to show that unity of theoretical and practical reason that motivated his energetic successor J. G. Fichte. ;In this dissertation I will examine the attempt by Kant and Fichte to show the unity of theoretical and practical reason. I will claim that Fichte's solution overcame many of the shortcomings of Kant's philosophy. It will also be shown that Kant and Fichte both held a view of reason that may contribute substantially to the formulation of a response to the contemporary crisis of reason

Liberation philosophy and democratic struggles -- The quest for the revolutionary subject : the early Marcuse -- The retrieval of Eros and the quest for a new sensibility -- Marcuse and the problem of intersubjectivity : beyond drive theory -- One-dimensional society and the demise of dialectical thinking -- Spectres of liberation : beyond one-dimensional man -- Liberal democracy and its limits : the challenge of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation -- Marcuse and discourse ethics -- Liberation and the democratic vision : educating for a new sensibility.