Horkheimer’s dialectical concept of nature-domination was attacked from both rationalism and irrationalism

Evidence

Horkheimer was firmly convinced that the will of humanity was directed towards complete mastery over nature, the domination of nature both inside and outside us by means of rational resolve'. Referring to Hegel and Marx, Horkheimer described this conceptthe perfect domination over nature by means of limitless reasonas a dialectical one. He defended it on two frontsagainst rationalism and against irrationalism, doing so for the first time at any length in his essay On the Dispute over Rationalism in Contemporary Philosophy’, written while he was in Switzerland. On the one hand, rationalism (represented for Horkheimer mainly by positivism) considered the scientific disciplines in their current form to be the only legitimate form of knowledge, and saw speculative thought as not competent to discuss the problems of society as a whole. In Horkheimer’s eyes, rationalism was therefore only an imperfect, inflexible, impoverished rationality. On the other hand, irrationalismrepresented for Horkheimer by the `philosophy of life’ (Lebensphilosophie), for example, and by existential philosophycondemned thought as a destructive force, and made the soul or intuition the sole deciding authority in all the critical problems of life. This school of thought thus demanded less rather than more rationality. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 547

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains Horkheimer’s double-front battle: rationalism is impoverished rationality, irrationalism demands less rationality.
• XREF: connects to: Horkheimer’s lifelong dialectics project opposed both scientism and irrationalist metaphysics — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 726; Horkheimer and Adorno replaced Marxian capitalism critique with a rational domination of nature thesis — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1369; Horkheimer directed his critique at both positivism and metaphysics — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1454

Broader Connections

• Horkheimer directed his critique at both positivism and metaphysics #corroborates (0.90) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1454
• Horkheimer’s lifelong dialectics project opposed both scientism and irrationalist metaphysics #corroborates (0.85) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 726
• Horkheimer and Adorno replaced Marxian capitalism critique with a rational domination of nature thesis #complicates (0.75) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1369