Horkheimer defined sociology’s task as society reflecting on itself against totalitarianism.
Evidence
In consecutive papers, Horkheimer had spoken on
Sociology and Philosophy' and König onChanges in the Position of the Sociological Intelligentsia’. Horkheimer had emphasized that, if sociology failed to concern itself with the fate of the whole, if it failed to fulfil its task of allowingsociety to reflect on itself' in the light of its purposethecorrect form of human co-existence’then it would fail `in the struggle against the totalitarian world, which threatens the European world both from without and from within’. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 595
Categorization
- XREF: Directly states Horkheimer’s totalizing conception of social theory, echoing his earlier programmatic statements about critical theory’s reflexive purpose. — connects to: Horkheimer held that society can be understood through anti-Semitism — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1291; Horkheimer theorized totalitarian monopoly capitalism as a racket phase of society — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1306; Horkheimer defined a sociology of terror tracing coercion from childrearing to adult association-membership. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 417 (+5 more)
- yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Horkheimer held that society can be understood through anti-Semitism — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1291; Horkheimer theorized totalitarian monopoly capitalism as a racket phase of society — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1306; Horkheimer defined a sociology of terror tracing coercion from childrearing to adult association-membership. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 417 (+5 more)
Broader Connections
- Horkheimer held that society’s irrationality itself foreclosed a consistent theory of society.
#complicates(0.85) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 2388