ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a critical, mainstream reading of the Frankfurt School and Critical Theory. It discusses the importance of being critical for a diagnostic of reality and for implementing changes in society, and these are central pillars of Critical Theory. Critical Theory is a set of ideas and methodologies that were put forward and developed by the members of the Frankfurt School. The Frankfurt School was a major influence in the works of Ilan Gur-Ze'ev and the source of much philosophical inspiration for his work in philosophy of education and peace education. Critical Theory exposes problems inherent to positivism, and proposes to solve these problems by advocating a new methodology. That is to say, Critical Theory, according to Horkheimer, must seek to analytically peruse reality and uncover the underlying relations that are at place between individuals, to see “the human bottom of nonhuman things and to demystify the surface forms of equality”.
