Critical Theory faced a double dilemma needing two independent yardsticks.

Evidence

On the one hand, there was a need for a yardstick that was independent of a possibly deceptive sense of what was right and wrong, in order to distinguish between the good' and bad’ versions of nature. On the other, there was an equal need for a yardstick that was independent of a form of rationality that was also possibly deceptive, in order to permit rational judgement by someone who had a clear vision of the dialectic of enlightenment and of the fusion of basic repression and surplus repression within civilization. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 2146

Categorization

• DEFINE: Precisely lays out the foundational dilemma of Critical Theory: needing a yardstick independent of both deceptive natural feeling and deceptive rationality.
• XREF: Connects to Marcuse’s instinctual-structure premiss and the Dialectic of Enlightenment general framework. — connects to: Critical Theory lacked grounds independent of both nature and rationality. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 2146; Critical Theory risked ossifying into a mere counter-programme without empirical grounding — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 2287; Critical theory that identifies reason with domination cannot justify its own critique — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist…, 380 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Critical Theory risked ossifying into a mere counter-programme without empirical grounding #expands (0.85) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 2287
• Critical theory that identifies reason with domination cannot justify its own critique #qualifies (0.80) — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 380
• Critical Theory claims to cure philosophy only from outside its own boundaries #expands (0.80) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 288
• Critical Theory defined itself through critique of others rather than systematic positive statements #corroborates (0.80) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 186
• Advanced capitalism needs two contradictory legitimating discourses at once #exemplifies (0.75) — Perry Anderson, The Origins of Postmodernity, 275
• Economists defended failed prediction by asserting contradictory claims at once #exemplifies (0.75) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 697
• Critical Theory’s legitimate authority is reason itself, dissolving the state distinction #expands (0.75) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 397