Critique and Transcendence: A Phenomenological Investigation into the Normative Foundation of Critical Social Theory

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dc.contributor.advisorSteigerwald, Joan
dc.contributor.authorGhanbari, Mahdi
dc.date.accessioned2024-11-07T11:21:26Z
dc.date.available2024-11-07T11:21:26Z
dc.date.copyright2024-10-07
dc.date.issued2024-11-07
dc.date.updated2024-11-07T11:21:25Z
dc.degree.disciplineSocial & Political Thought
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation investigates the normative foundation of critical social theory, arguing that a lack of recognition of epistemological subjectivity as the foundation of normativity has permitted various forms of objectivistic (metaphysical) thinking to dominate the field. Metaphysical thinking uncritically posits a reality grounded solely in the mind’s ‘intentional’ theoretical projections as a mind-independent object. By adhering to this mode of thought, critical social theory misconstrues social reality, which is primarily formed through the practices of real human subjects, as being metaphysically constituted. Metaphysical thinking also falsely integrates transcendental subjectivity in the objective order of things and, thus, overlooks the essential need for transcendence as the foundation for normative practices. To liberate social theory from this alienation of the transcendental subject, this project begins with an analysis of metaphysical thought in general, drawing on Edmund Husserl’s method of transcendental phenomenology, and offers an expanded version of Kant’s critique of speculative reason. The scope of Kant’s critical investigation is confined to scholastic metaphysics, which limits its applicability in contemporary contexts. To overcome this limitation, this dissertation explores further transcendental elements at work in metaphysical thinking beyond those investigated by Kant and analyses two examples of contemporary metaphysical thinking, namely, the philosophies of Heidegger and Derrida. Transcendental phenomenology has been critiqued for purportedly advocating an ahistorical, disembodied, purely epistemological notion of subjectivity. This dissertation challenges such critiques by showing that commitment to transcendental-theoretical subjectivity allows for an analysis of material and historical subjectivity as part of a broader understanding of transcendental phenomenology. A phenomenology of material subjectivity then traces the origin of the fundamental concepts of social theory—such as alienation, justice, freedom, etc.—back to the economic structure of the lifeworld while asserting that a purely materialist and genetic analysis of these concepts fails to reveal their essentially normative nature. By maintaining a firm distinction between the transcendental and the material through epoche, transcendental phenomenology is capable of providing a normative ground for critique. This approach lays the groundwork for developing a phenomenologically clarified notion of teleological rationality on non-metaphysical grounds as an alternative to the instrumental rationality dominant in Western civilization.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/42529
dc.languageen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectPhilosophy
dc.subjectPolitical Science
dc.subjectSociology
dc.subject.keywordsPhenomenology
dc.subject.keywordsCritical phenomenology
dc.subject.keywordsPhenomenological Marxism
dc.subject.keywordsHusserl
dc.subject.keywordsEnzo Paci
dc.subject.keywordsMarxism
dc.subject.keywordsKant
dc.subject.keywordsAlienation
dc.subject.keywordsOppression
dc.subject.keywordsEpistemology
dc.subject.keywordsTranscendental reduction
dc.subject.keywordsEpoche
dc.subject.keywordsNon-metaphysical thinking
dc.subject.keywordsHuman subjectivity
dc.subject.keywordsIntentionality
dc.subject.keywordsTranscendental idealism
dc.subject.keywordsHistorical materialism
dc.subject.keywordsMarx
dc.subject.keywordsMerleau-Ponty
dc.subject.keywordsHeidegger
dc.subject.keywordsDerrida
dc.subject.keywordsMetaphysics
dc.subject.keywordsReason
dc.subject.keywordsInstrumental rationality
dc.subject.keywordsLifeworld
dc.subject.keywordsDifference
dc.subject.keywordsPostmodernism
dc.subject.keywordsSubjectivity
dc.subject.keywordsTranscendental subjectivity
dc.subject.keywordsObjectivism
dc.subject.keywordsObjectivistic thinking
dc.subject.keywordsNaturalism
dc.subject.keywordsSkepticism
dc.subject.keywordsMetaphysical thinking
dc.subject.keywordsEmpirical realism
dc.subject.keywordsTeleological rationality
dc.subject.keywordsTelos
dc.subject.keywordsInstrumentality
dc.subject.keywordsPolitical theory
dc.subject.keywordsTranscendental philosophy
dc.subject.keywordsNormativity
dc.subject.keywordsCritical theory
dc.subject.keywordsSocial theory
dc.subject.keywordsHabermas
dc.subject.keywordsMarcuse
dc.subject.keywordsNature
dc.subject.keywordsEmbodiment
dc.subject.keywordsEthics
dc.titleCritique and Transcendence: A Phenomenological Investigation into the Normative Foundation of Critical Social Theory
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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