Critique And Disclosure: Critical Theory Between Past And Future

by Nikolas Kompridis

In Critique and Disclosure, Nikolas Kompridis argues provocatively for aricher and more time-responsive critical theory. He calls for a shift in thenormative and critical emphasis of critical theory from the narrow concern withrules and procedures of J?rgen Habermas's model to a change-enabling disclosure ofpossibility and the enlargement of meaning. Kompridis contrasts two visions ofcritical theory's role and purpose in the world: one that restricts itself to thenormative clarification of the procedures by which moral and political questionsshould be settled and an alternative rendering that conceives of itself as apossibility-disclosing practice. At the center of this resituation of criticaltheory is a normatively reformulated interpretation of Martin Heidegger's idea of"disclosure" or "world disclosure." In this regard Kompridis reconnects criticaltheory to its normative and conceptual sources in the German philosophical traditionand sets it within a romantic tradition of philosophical critique.Drawing not onlyon his sustained critical engagement with the thought of Habermas and Heidegger butalso on the work of other philosophers including Wittgenstein, Cavell, Gadamer, andBenjamin, Kompridis argues that critical theory must, in light of modernity'stime-consciousness, understand itself as fully situated in its time--in anever-shifting and open-ended horizon of possibilities, to which it must respond bydisclosing alternative ways of thinking and acting. His innovative and originalargument will serve to move the debate over the future of critical studiesforward--beyond simple antinomies to a consideration of, as he puts it, "whatcritical theory should be if it is to have a future worthy of its past."

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

337 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was inspired by this book. Essentially Kompridis is looking for a way we can recapture a sense of creativity and innovation in critical theory after Adorno and Horkheimer ended in despair and Habermas responded by limiting it to procedural ethics. He does this by reclaiming from Heideggerian thought "disclosure" as a concept, which he carefully defends from the critics who suggest such a concept is irrational, elitist or even possibly tyrannical. As "disclosure" we can now see politics as something always emergent and dynamic, constantly in dialogue with the world. And implicit in this is an openness to the experiences of others, who continually challenge and transform our views. It also entails a respect for our intellectual and cultural traditions, which we now recognize as constitutive of our own voice, and don't just treat as fodder to be ruthlessly deconstructed and unmasked as politically suspect. While the sentiment is great, and Kompridis writes fantastically, I still can't quite figure out how this works as a critical theory. That is, beyond prompting a dispositional change or introducing an ethical "ought", I can't see how this translates into political practice. Then again, maybe the point is that it is up to us...

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book. Kompridis asks more out of our critical awareness than most thinkers, yet he does so conscientiously - almost optimistically. Almost. His creativity in conceptualizing the locations and demands of critical theory is something to behold.

[JiWu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read again. The content is so wonderful. I would like to recommend it to all philosophy students! It actually opened a new way to inspire how think our self and outside furthermore.