Thieves of knowledge : philosophy, politics, academe
Date
1995
Authors
Thompson, Chad Douglas
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Abstract
"Critical theory" has become an object of disrepute. The ambiguity of the relationship between such theories and the political demands that critical theory engage in a continual process of self-doubt. Beginning with the separation of academe and the everyday, and the ensuing theoretical anxieties, this thesis considers the efforts of three thinkers to resolve these doubts: Hannah Arendt, Karl Mannheim, and Louis Althusser. By reconsidering the relationship of knowledge and politics, each figure formulates a distinct basis for critical theory. Arendt attempts to exclude philosophy from the political, in order to preserve the possibility of action in the latter; Mannheim subordinates all social life to the rigours of intellectual planning; Althusser posits distinct realms of irreconcilable practices. By tracing the breakdown of each of these projects, this work concludes that the significance of critical theory lies in its inevitable indeterminacy, wherein its political contribution can be found at its margins.