One of the fundamental insights of Critical Theory is that reason is not only a prerequisite for social emancipation but is itself entangled in domination. While, in the Enlightenment’s self-conception, reason promises liberation from myth, arbitrariness, and subjugation—and at the same time promises autonomy as well as emancipation—historically it has also given rise to forms of instrumental domination of nature, social control, and exclusion. Reason and unreason, therefore, do not stand in opposition to one another as abstract opposites, but must be understood both in their interplay and within their concrete social context. In light of persistent power relations and new forms of technological rationalization, the question therefore arises of a critical theory of reason that preserves its emancipatory claim while simultaneously revealing its entanglement in power relations.
