Horkheimer treated the dialectic of history as a hypothesis, not a structural plan

Evidence

Horkheimer emphasized that the view that the dialectic between the various forms of human power and the various obsolete forms of society resulting from the conflict with nature' represents the motor of history’ must not become a universal structural plan which would take the place of concrete research, but was merely a formulation of historical experience corresponding to present knowledge'. However, he did not turn to the investigation of the real reasons why differentiated state and social systems have superseded less developed ones’. Instead, his interest was focused on progress and rationality in the theoretical field. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 487

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Horkheimer held Soviet hopes as a clinging against appearances, not evidence.; Horkheimer’s state capitalism theory rested on speculative philosophy of history rather than evidence — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1176; History is neither purely objective nor purely subjective, being pervaded by a dialectical anti-dialectic — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 420 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• For Horkheimer socialism depends on trained human action, not immanent historical logic #complicates (0.80) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 195