Two sorts of philosophical therapy: Ordinary language philosophy, social criticism and the Frankfurt school

Whyman, Tom

Abstract

In a recent article, Fabian Freyenhagen argues that we should understand first-generation Frankfurt School critical theory (in particular, the work of Adorno and Horkheimer) as being defined by a kind of ‘linguistic turn’ analogous to one present in the later Wittgenstein. Here, I elaborate on this hypothesis – initially by calling it into question, by detailing Herbert Marcuse’s extensive criticisms of Wittgenstein (and other analytic philosophers of language) in One-Dimensional Man. While Marcuse is harshly critical of analytic ordinary language philosophy, he is much more sympathetic to a different sort of ordinary language philosophy, which he unpacks with reference to Karl Kraus. I show how, by getting Marcuse’s criticisms of Wittgenstein and other analytic philosophers, and lauding of Kraus, into view, we can better understand the first generation of the Frankfurt School as having practised a sort of ‘non-quietistic’ philosophical therapy (that may or may not have been the sort of thing that Wittgenstein himself had in mind).

Citation

Whyman, T. (2023). Two sorts of philosophical therapy: Ordinary language philosophy, social criticism and the Frankfurt school. Philosophy and Social Criticism, https://doi.org/10.1177/01914537231203525

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 1, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Oct 23, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 1, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 1, 2023
• Journal: Philosophy & Social Criticism
• Print ISSN: 0191-4537
• Electronic ISSN: 1461-734X
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01914537231203525
• Keywords: Sociology and Political Science; Philosophy
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1873030