Research Article

THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES

Volume: 12 Number: 2 October 27, 2025
TR EN

THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES

Abstract

This article examines the intellectual legacy of the Frankfurt School and Critical Theory, focusing on its origins, transformations, and intergenerational dialogues. The School's primary objective is to philosophically analyze and critique the social pathologies and contradictions engendered by modern capitalist societies. Influenced by philosophers like Kant, Hegel, and Marx, as well as psychoanalysis and Weberian rationalization debates, the School addressed historical context, capitalism's cultural forms, and new types of social subjectivity. The article traces the evolution from the first generation's critique of modernity and domination (Horkheimer, Adorno), through the innovations of the second generation with Habermas's theory of communicative action, to the contributions of the third generation, particularly Axel Honneth's theory of recognition. It highlights Honneth's effort to center the struggle for recognition within Critical Theory—addressing the perceived shortcomings of previous generations (especially the pessimism of the first generation and the moral experiences overlooked by Habermas's theory)—and provide a new normative foundation. The theory of recognition reveals the moral dimensions underlying social conflicts and emancipatory struggles, emphasizing the importance of intersubjective relations.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

No financial support was received for the study.

Ethical Statement

Since no participants were used in the article, the relevant approval is not included.

References

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  5. Calhoun, C., & Karaganis, J. (2000). "Critical Theory." G. Ritzer & B. Smart (Eds.), Handbook of Social Theory (pp. 179–200). Sage Publications.
  6. Daly, G. (2006). Marxism. In P. Wake & S. Malpas (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Critical Theory. pp. 28–42. Taylor & Francis.
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  8. Engels, F. (1994). Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy. (P. Taylor, Trans.). Progress Publishers.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Philosophy of Society, Contemporary Philosophy

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

October 23, 2025

Publication Date

October 27, 2025

Submission Date

April 30, 2025

Acceptance Date

July 10, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 12 Number: 2

APA
Arıtürk, M. H. (2025). THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 12(2), 724-746. https://doi.org/10.69878/deuefad.1687669
AMA
1.Arıtürk MH. THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2025;12(2):724-746. doi:10.69878/deuefad.1687669
Chicago
Arıtürk, Mete Han. 2025. “THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 12 (2): 724-46. https://doi.org/10.69878/deuefad.1687669.
EndNote
Arıtürk MH (October 1, 2025) THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 12 2 724–746.
IEEE
[1]M. H. Arıtürk, “THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES”, Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 724–746, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.69878/deuefad.1687669.
ISNAD
Arıtürk, Mete Han. “THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 12/2 (October 1, 2025): 724-746. https://doi.org/10.69878/deuefad.1687669.
JAMA
1.Arıtürk MH. THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2025;12:724–746.
MLA
Arıtürk, Mete Han. “THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 2, Oct. 2025, pp. 724-46, doi:10.69878/deuefad.1687669.
Vancouver
1.Mete Han Arıtürk. THE INTELLECTUAL LEGACY OF CRITICAL THEORY: ORIGINS, TRANSFORMATIONS, AND INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2025 Oct. 1;12(2):724-46. doi:10.69878/deuefad.1687669