Understanding of Suppression of reason or critical thought by positivistic methodology in the light of Max Horkheimer of Frankfurt School

.......Max Horkheimer rightly pointed out the shortcomings of empiricism or positivist thought of scientific research in social science. In this essay, focus is made to understand how reason or critical thinking got suppressed by empiricism in sociological research today.......

Subordination of reason to industry initiated in the beginning of the 18^th century and that is regarded as transformation from metaphysics to instrumental rationality. But why this subordination, because it was a condition of social progress to the extent that knowledge became a productive force and the means by which critical reason was suppressed. Critical reason got submerged and it is the consequence of the achievement of enlightenment itself. Enlightenment through pursuing the concepts of essence, soul, transcendent being, God etc. from reason paved the way for an empirical science and technology that culminated in the advancement of material culture. The bourgeois tolerated the critical reason only during its struggle to attain power. Once it attained power, critical reason became various quantitative forms like mathematics and sciences because these were means of capitalism’s expansion of hegemony over society. Science was useful to capitalist society to the extent that it transformed into industrial technique. But capitalist society’s use of empiricism had far reaching impact as it left thought a slave to the given reality.

Horkheimer argued that positivism and metaphysics are the two sides of Bourgeoisie thought that forms a unified world view of the bourgeoisie. But these two thoughts of bourgeoisie split in accordance with the prevailing division of labour between science, which serves industry, and religious and secular spiritual ideologies, which serve social domination. It implies that positivism promotes scientific thought in social science that only looks into surface reality and establishes case-effect relationships; on the other hand, Metaphysics presents explanation of transcendence, being and all abstract entities that shapes various religious and spiritual thoughts as a form of philosophy. Ultimately, both science, and religious and spiritual ideologies dominate masses; former promotes industry and later promotes social domination through ideologies. Both the kind of domination is essential for bourgeoisie because it tends to prevent any kind critical reasoning or thought. Positivism asserts the rationality of given surface reality and makes superficial calculations of cause-effect relationship in a reality. On the other hand, metaphysics sought for teleology to give meaning to human existence. Science simply provides explanation of facts that are visible and do not offer any transcendent meaning to men. Metaphysics is the other side of positivist nominalism. Metaphysics offers abstract explanation of the existence of reality or objects; whereas, positivism offers concrete explanation of the existence of reality or objects (Horkheimer, 1972). Therefore, Horkheimer argued that both just serve the purpose of bourgeoisie that only needs documentation of superficial social reality and tends to suppress ‘reason’ and ‘critical thinking’.  

So in present day, sociology’s emphasis on empirical study is the legacy of submergence or subordination of critical thought because it is the means of advancement of the capitalist world. World of Bourgeoisie, (who has either convinced the intellectuals or intellectuals shaped its structure) tends to propagate positivist empiricism in the name of decorating sociology as scientific discipline. Sociology today is just engrossed into so called scientific research that actually is serving the needs of Bourgeoisie. Scientific research in sociology or in social science sets the aim of presenting or documenting the surface phenomena or social reality based on the methods that only examine the cause-effect relationship and visible facts. Bourgeoisie don’t find any kind of risk in such research as there is lack of critical though or reason. Instead the sociological research today produce the cumulative survey report in the forms of various positivistic methodological outcomes that sometimes directly and mostly indirectly benefits the Bourgeoisie. Sociologists need to come out of the box of normative academic practice and should be involved in interpretative practice and in analysing reason as an object and subject of critical thinking.

Reference

Horkheimer Max (1972) Critical Theory Selected Essays. New York: The Continuum Publishing Company.

Our discussion will be continued in the next blog……………

Author of this essay is Mahmudul Hasan Laskar, Assistant Prof. in the dept. of Sociology, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya. He is the editor of this blog “Sociological Study”. For communication write to Mahmudul Hasan Laskar <editorsociologicalstudy@gmail.com>