ABSTRACT
Marx’s contribution to human social thought does not rest only on his attempt to discover the structural features of human history and, based on discoveries about them, to illuminate contemporary human conditions. Marx takes to the heart of his social theory the problem of human emancipation. One major ambition of the Frankfurt School has been to follow on Marx’s critical task, to reconstruct Marx’s theoretical framework to respond to this kind of issues and to renew the Marxian critique of capitalism. Habermas perceives a common theme behind Marx, Weber and the early Frankfurt School which make them incapable of dealing with capitalist modernity adequately. The teleological model of action presupposes language as a medium for realizing ends. Habermas perceives communicative action as orientated towards reaching understanding and instrumental action and strategic action as orientated to success. Weber has the merit of going beyond Marx in understanding the problem of capitalist modernization.
