Horkheimer turned to philosophy as a guide amid post-war collapse

Evidence

In the summer of 1920 he wrote to Maidon, `We are faced with disintegration, demolition, decisive strugglea long way from the rise of a new community, but with all our boats already burnt behind us … Contemporary philosophy, together with knowledge of its immediate recent history, will serve me as a guide.’ — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 173

Categorization

• QUESTION: Horkheimer’s early view of philosophy as a ‘guide’ through disintegration is a striking precursor to Critical Theory’s normative ambitions; worth tracing how this early framing matured.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 173