The Cambridge Companion to Critical Theory [Paperback]

An illuminating and authoritative guide to Critical Theory by an international team of distinguished contributors.An international team of distinguished contributors examines the major figures in Critical Theory, including Adorno, Benjamin, and Habermas, as well as lesser known but important thinkers. They survey the shared philosophical concerns that have given impetus to Critical Theory throughout its history, while at the same time showing the diversity among its proponents that contributes so much to its richness as a philosophical school. The result is an illuminating overview of the history of Critical Theory and its central conceptual concerns, and an in-depth discussion of its future prospects.An international team of distinguished contributors examines the major figures in Critical Theory, including Adorno, Benjamin, and Habermas, as well as lesser known but important thinkers. They survey the shared philosophical concerns that have given impetus to Critical Theory throughout its history, while at the same time showing the diversity among its proponents that contributes so much to its richness as a philosophical school. The result is an illuminating overview of the history of Critical Theory and its central conceptual concerns, and an in-depth discussion of its future prospects.Distinguished international contributors examine the major figures in Critical Theory, including Adorno, Benjamin, and Habermas, as well as lesser known but important thinkers. They survey the shared philosophical concerns that have given impetus to Critical Theory throughout its history, and reveal the diversity among its proponents that contributes so much to its richness as a philosophical school.Introduction Fred Rush; 1. Conceptual foundations of early Critical Theory Fred Rush; 2. Benjamin, Adorno, and the decline of the aura Michael Rosen; 3. The dialectic of enlightenment Julian Roberts; 4. The marriage of Marx and Freud: Critical Theory and psychoanalysis Joel Whitebook; l³5