Hawk Hammer Rational Criticism Of The Study

Horkheimer’s critique of reason is the critique of instrumental reason, which was first time present in "the end of reason"(1941), in the early1940s, and had been furthered deepen and expanded in "The Dialectic of Enlightenment"(1947) and "Eclipse of Reason"(1947). The critique of instrumental reason mainly shows the relations between reason, self-preservation and domination, that is to expose how the reason that is universal force to regulate human behaviors and the relationships is transformed into a tool servicing for subject-self.The critique of reason brings Lukacs’s analysis of reification consciousness and Weber’s rationality diagnosis into the anthropological perspective, trying to historical reflect and thorough liquidate the social alienation from the source of western civilization since the industrial civilization.Around the above topics, from "The Dialectic of Enlightenment" and "Eclipse of Reason", this dissertation excavates four clues:objective reason and subjective reason, rational enlightenment and enlightenment reason, rational ego and sensitive nature, total reason and individual decline, trying from different perspective to expose the erosion and destruction of the human civilization,and the suppression of the inherent natural of people from instrumental reason, individual devastation and destruction, reflecting and summarizing the normative basis of Horkheimer’s critique of reason.The dissertation is divided into six parts. Introduction can be regarded as the first part. It attempts to clarify three issues, that are the origin and significance of Horkheimer’s critique of reason, research status in academic circles at home and abroad about Horkheimer’s thought, and writing ideas, the basic framework and main ideas of this dissertation.Chapter I,"the premise and tasks of rational criticism" is a preparatory introduction, which focuses on defining the rational criticism of Horkheimer, and revealing the possibility, tasks and the principle of rational criticism. From Chapter II to Chapter V is the core content of this dissertation.Chapter II,"objective reason and subjective reason" reveals the normative perspective of Horkheimer’s critique of reason, overall, Horkheimer criticizes subjective reason or instrumental reason from the point of view of objective reason, but he does not fully agree with the ontological thought of philosophy which the objective reason symbolizes. The first part investigates the meaning and characteristics of objective reason; the second part reveals how objective reason changes into subjective reason, or what’s the process of subjectivization (formalization or instrumentalization) of reason; the third part reveals what’s the impact to modern human civilization by the subjectivization of reason.Chapter III,"rational enlightenment and enlightenment reason" tries to reveal the enlightenment suppresses the inherent natural with the banner of rational progress, and also makes the external natural(alienation) hollowing, eventually leads to the individual’s self-destruction. This chapter is divided into two parts:On the one hand, it elucidates the original intention of the enlightenment and the enlightenment meaning of the myth, and there is an inherently logical relationship between myth and enlightenment; On the other hand, it reveals the enlightenment adheres to the principle of abstract identity, using concepts and symbols to suppress specific things, concealing the heterogeneity and diversity of things with the principle of abstract identity. The abstract identity logic of enlightenment extends to the lives of modern industrial society, and results in the loss of subjectivity and the destruction of individual, which means that the enlightenment with a new way is making myth in the process of escaping myth; the enlightenment retrogresses to a myth again.Chapter IV,"rational ego and sensitive nature" exposes human beings making reason a tool for self-preservation, causes what are the harms to the inherent natural and human way of life. The first part defines the rational ego and its dual images; the second part analyzes the survival situation of rational ego; the third part reveals that the repressions of intrinsic natural by rational ego leads to the revolt of nature, which is the product of thought of instrumental reason.Chapter V,"total reason and individual decline" reveals a modern industrial society is a "totality", which means that the thought of instrumental reason permeates social life or the behavior of instrumental reason is institutionalized. The totality of modern industrial society, On the one hand, leads to the working class losing their revolutionary consciousness; On the other hand, results in the individual’s decline and collapse. This chapter reveals the above theme from the total reason and individual decline, and points out the collapse of free competitive capitalism and the decline of individuality are inherent reasons about working class losing revolutionary consciousness.Conclusion retrospectively summarizes and reflects the contents of previous five chapters, and evaluates Horkheimer’s critique of reason for its functions and gain and loss. Horkheimer’s critique of reason is an intrinsic criticism based on historical dialectics; it adheres to the principle of non-identity between theory and practice, whose goal is to achieve the reconciliation between reason and nature. Although, facing the huge predicament of reality, Horkheimer’s critique of reason is fantastic and pessimism, from his strong criticism of the instrumental reason we can see that, he hold a strong faith in reason or human nature, and believed that the reflective capability of reason could transcend the opposition between reason and nature and achieve the reconciliation between them. From this perspective, Horkheimer is not pessimistic for the future of human. In general, from the double dimension between theory and practice, Horkheimer’s critique of reason deeply analyzes and comprehensively criticizes the diseases of western industrial civilization, which has a positive significance for us to reflect on the modern industrial civilization.