Horkheimer's Critical Theory Of Mass Culture

M.Marx Horkheimer was the first professor of social philosophy in Germany,as well as the founder of the Frankfurt School.He started to reflect and criticize the mass culture,which laid the foundation for the study of popular culture and the mass culture theory of Frankfurt school thinkers.Horkheimer's critical theory of mass culture was produced in Germany and the United States.In his view,the dictatorship of Germany and the United States is different,but they both have the soil of authoritarian personality.First of all,Horkheimer draws on the alienation theory of humanism.Secondly,he inherited the critical spirit of Marx's philosophy.Finally,he was influenced by the critical theory of Western Marx's predecessors.In this way,he wrote his own theory of cultural criticism.Horkheimer carries on the thorough research to the popular culture basic characteristic,including the commercialization characteristic,the technical characteristic,the standardized characteristic,the compulsory characteristic.So he has a comprehensive critique of the cultural industry."Cultural industry" is the first concept put forward by Horkheimer and Adorno in the book "Dialectics of enlightenment".They think that in the late capitalist society,popular culture become the "cultural industry",and it has become the ruling ideology,maintaining and governing public utilities.Through the analysis of the basic characteristics of the cultural industry,Horkheimer criticizes the cultural industry deeply and roundly.Based on the above theme,this article studies the critical theory of mass culture.First of all,we analyze the historical background and ideological sources in order to truly understand Horkheimer 's sharp criticism of mass culture.Secondly,it analyzes the characteristics of the mass culture in Horkheimer 's eyes,and the cultural criticism in the dialectics of enlightenment.Thirdly,discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the theory.Finally,it analyzes the influence of Chinese popular culture,and advocates the dialectical treatment of Horkheimer 's critical theory of mass culture and the construction of socialist popular culture with Chinese characteristics.