Philosophy of praxis or philosophical anthropology?
Andrew Feenberg and Axel Honneth on Lukács's theory of reification
pp. 47-69
in: Andreas Michel (ed), Critical theory and the thought of Andrew Feenberg, Berlin, Springer, 2017Abstract
The concept of reification, as it is formulated in Lukács's History and class consciousness (1923), constitutes one of the corner stones of the tradition of critical theory. Today, after a period of partial eclipse, the relevant discussion seems to have acquired new impetus due to the theoretical interventions of Andrew Feenberg and Axel Honneth. This chapter examines their respective efforts to update the Lukácsian concept and seeks to determine which one could be considered more appropriate for its actualization at our current social and political juncture. It starts with the interpretation of Lukács's theory of reification proposed by Feenberg within the frame of the "philosophy of praxis." Subsequently, it reconstructs Honneth's reformulation of the concept in "recognition-theoretical" terms and criticizes it from a Feenbergian and Lukácsian perspective. It concludes with some remarks on the actuality of Feenberg's interpretation of the concept of reification.
