Max Horkheimer's Critical Theory Of Culture

Mar Horkheimer's critical theory of culture is the product of combination of Marxism and Freudianism,that is,critical theory of culture based on politic economic critical.Horkheimer considered that the meaning of culture contains human's material civilization and spirit freedom,manifested in the dialectical relationship between economic basis and cultural system.The transition of capitalism from freedom to monopoly and the emergence of state capitalism have strengthened individual control,and it needed to build culture critical.The purpose of culture critical is to keep the tension relationship between thought and the times.Focusing on the above themes and in the context of politic economic critical,this paper analyses the problem of "how to be" in culture critical,which includes the consequences of criticizing the commercialization of mass culture and instrumentalization of enlightenment reason.The commercialization of mass culture leads to the transformation of art into commodity,and the subjectivity of reason leads to the transformation of religion as cultural commodity of capitalist society.By analyzing the relationship between authority and family,art and the times,religion and reality,culture critical advocates keeping the tension relationship between thought and the times.The article is divided into six parts.The first is introduction.It attempts to clarify three issues,namely,the origin and significance of Mar Horkheimer 's critical theory of culture,the study status of Horkheimer 's thought in domestic and foreign academic circles,and the studying ideas and basic framework of this article.Chapter ?,"The origin of Horkheimer's Critical Theory",mainly introduces the source,background and meaning of Horkheimer's critical theory.The produce of any philosophical thought is the result of the joint action of philosophical tradition and philosophical thinking.After synthesizing the influence of Schopenhauer's and Marx's thoughts,and facing the increasing control and repression of individuals,Horkheimer hoped that social philosophy would recovery its critical function,establishing interdisciplinary comprehensive research methods,and taking psychology as the auxiliary subject of social philosophy,that is,the formation of social critical theory.Chapter ?,"Culture,Authority and Family",mainly discusses the possibility and necessity of Horkheimer's critical theory of culture,and explains the politicaleconomic basis of critical cultural.Horkheimer's unique interpretation of culture reveals why critical cultural is possible.In addition,Horkheimer specifically examines the transition of capitalism from freedom to monopoly and the emergence of state capitalism,which illustrates the necessity of critical cultural.Family is the intermediary force of critical cultural between authority and cultural system.Chapter ?,"Critique of Mass Culture",expresses the tension between thought and times through the resistance of art itself.The commercialization of mass culture makes the use value of art highly valued,so artistic creation becomes commodity production.Cultural industry legalizes itself in the name of mass culture.In fact,cultural industry is the product of technology.It destroyed the individuality and style of art with standardized production mode.Cultural industry always shapes people as the whole society needs.Chapter ?,"Critique of Enlightenment Reason",criticizes the control principle of Enlightenment Reason by discussing the secularization of religion and its results.Enlightenment retreats to myth,human awakening becomes man's control over nature and himself,and reason becomes the means of self-preservation.The triumph of instrumental rationality cleared up all the methods of objective significance,purpose and result.Religion left the relationship with truth and became as cultural commodity of capitalist society.The function of religion is to reveal injustice and resist it.Chapter ?,"Contemporary Significance of critical theory of Culture ",summarizes the significance of critical culture.In practice,thinking about the Enlightenment of critical culture to the development of contemporary cultural industry.In theory,besides studying the relationship between thought and the times,the comprehensive research method is still of great useful.The conclusion is a retrospective summary and reflection of the previous five chapters,and evaluates the significance of Horkheimer's culture critical.Hockheimer's culture critical is based on the internal of politic economical critical.It adheres to the principle of combining history with psychology,and its goal is to keep the tension relationship between thought and the times.In the contemporary era,re-affirming the practical significance of culture critical can not be separated from exploring the relationship between culture critical and politic economic critical,but also from exploring the influence of Schopenhauer and Marx on Horkheimer.