The Frankfurt School and the Reconstruction of Contemporary Social Critical Theory

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the internal logic of the transition from Frankfurt School critical theory to contemporary social critical theory. This article examines the paradigm shift from philosophy of consciousness to philosophy of language, analyzes the mechanism of the differentiation between communicative rationality and life world, and explains how recognition politics expands the dimension of justice from economic distribution to identity. By integrating resources from Kant, Hegel, Rawls, etc., the theory re-established norm standards with universal binding force in the context of secularization. Contemporary critical theory has repaired the decline of explanatory power of traditional Marxism and provided a solid framework for diagnosing systemic pathology in post-modern society. This has contributed to the key ideological resources for reshaping the rational order of modern society.