[FRA:] Horkheimer under review (1)

[Ralph Dumain]

A couple months ago I mentioned my acquisition of these companion volumes 
from MIT Press:

Between Philosophy and Social Science
Selected Early Writings
Max Horkheimer
Translated by G.Frederick Hunter, Matthew S. Kramer and John Torpey

On Max Horkheimer: New Perspectives
ed. Seyla Benhabib, Wolfgang Bonss, John McCole

I've read a number of essays from both books.  I plan to comment in greater 
detail, but I['ll begin with some general remarks about the latter 
book.  I've read chapters 1-8, 10, 15.

I've already summarized this essay, which goes to the heart of my general 
project:

Wolf Schafer, "Stranded at the Crossroads of Dehumanization: John Desmond 
Bernal and Max Horkheimer," pp. 153-183.

Then I read:

Stefan Breuer, "The Long Friendship: On Theoretical Differences between 
Adorno and Horkheimer," pp. 257-279.

This and other essays in the book highlight some fundamental differences 
between these two colleagues, as has Simon Smith on the Frankfurt School 
list.  I still don't grasp these differences, and I will discuss them in 
more detail at some point.

Thomas McCarthy's essay (chapter 6) was worthless as far as I'm 
concerned.  He seems to be a shill for postmodernism.  Is this the same 
McCarthy who is the Habermas scholar?

The heart of the book for my purposes is concentrated in chapters 2-5, 
8.  These chapters all concentrate on the fundamental assumptions of 
Horkheimer's conception of critical vs. traditional theory and his program 
of interdisciplinary research, the ambitions and the alleged fundamental 
flaws of the conception and program.  This is the nut that I have to crack.