ABSTRACT
In the same measure as Max Horkheimer and his followers developed doubts as to the validity of the Marxian critique of political economy, it was replaced by the critique of positivism as basis of Critical Theory. This is not simply a contingent shift of emphasis. There is a compelling logic behind it which is due to certain shared characteristics in the perspective of Marx and Critical Theory. The meaning of the term positivism itself is highly controversial, and it is widely used as a derogatory label. In any case, Popper and Albert, the two writers attacked as positivists during the positivist dispute, protested vigorously against being described as such; they saw themselves as antipositivists. With respect to the identification of invariances, the capacities of the criterion of historical understandability are restricted. First, the question whether certain general regularities of social life can be traced back to specific historical conditions often remains controversial.
