ABSTRACT

After its return to Frankfurt in 1950 the Institute was entirely dominated by the ideas of Horkheimer and Adorno; more particularly the latter, since Horkheimer was frequently absent between 1954 and 1959 as a visiting professor at the University of Chicago, and retired in 1959. In its revived form the Institute assumed the character of a well-defined school of thought, pre-eminently a school of philosophy and of aesthetic theory, these being Adorno’s own primary interests. Its distinctive orientation is evident also in the work of the second generation of scholars associated with it, the most prominent of whom-Jürgen Habermas, Alfred Schmidt, Albrecht Wellmer-were all philosophers. Among the older members of the institute who remained in the USA Marcuse at least can likewise be considered as a leading figure in the new school, although differences between its European and American adherents emerged later, especially with regard to political action.