Grünberg’s optimists saw a higher culture emerging from decaying forms.

Evidence

And then, in contrast with the pessimists, there are the optimists. They neither believe in the collapse of Western culture or of culture in general, nor do they alarm themselves or others with any such prospect. Supported by historical experience, they see, instead of a decaying form of culture, another, more highly developed one approaching. They are confident: magnus ab integro saeculorum nascitur ordo, a new order is being born out of the fullness of time. And for their part they consciously demand that what is outmoded should stand aside in favour of what is emerging, in order to bring it more speedily to maturity. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 90

Categorization

• XREF: Grünberg’s optimistic historical-determinist framing connects to Marx’s base-superstructure model and to the mechanical-Marxism critique the Frankfurt School later leveled. — connects to: Attempted revivals of past traditions accelerate their decay — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1454; Present cultural forms carry disengageable seeds of the future — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 190; The tension between life and form drives cultural change. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 820 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• The tension between life and form drives cultural change. #expands (0.85) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 820
• Present cultural forms carry disengageable seeds of the future #expands (0.80) — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 190
• Attempted revivals of past traditions accelerate their decay #qualifies (0.72) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1454