Review

Author(s): Barry M. Katz

Review by: Barry M. Katz
Source: Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 6, No. 6 (Nov., 1977), pp. 728-729
Published by: American Sociological Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2066392
Accessed: 05-02-2016 02:06 UTC

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728 CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGY: A JOURNAL OF REVIEWS
explorethecondition ofpeopleintheircircum- in ideology,socialpsychology, and aesthetics
stancesat thepointwhere,in the novel,the weremisdirected or inadequateinsofar as they
worldsoffantasy andfactintersect. The essay failedto supportthemwitha sustainedeco-
also tracesin detailOrtega'srelationsto the nomicanalysis.Nobodywho has studiedthe
earlyphenomenologists and existentialists. writingsof Horkheimer, Adorno,Marcuse,
In other essays Ortega analyzes various andtheircolleagues,andtakestheirworkseri-
problems which concerned the early ously,can affordto ignorethesechallenges,
phenomenologists. The essays on aesthetics and it is unfortunate, then,thathavingraised
and the arts derive much fromBrentano's them,Slaterdoes not carryus as faras he
phenomenological psychology,and illustrate mightin developingthe two prongsof his
the operationof Ortega'sphenomenologicalargument.
methods. Limpid clarity and dazzling To supporthis centralcontention thatde-
metaphors, as in otherof Ortega'swritings, spiteitslastingcontributions, theworkofthe
makethebook a joy to read. Frankfurt Schoolrepresents "the breakin the
In view of the mountinginterestby historicalmaterialisttheory-praxis nexus,"
sociologistsin phenomenology and existen- Slateroffersa sortof rosterof whatmaybe
tialismand thenumberof worksby would-be interpreted as alternativecontemporary politi-
sociologicalphenomenologists whichcommit cal orientations: theKPD; Brandler'sopposi-
so manyofthemistakesphenomenology origi- tion; Council Communism;left-wing Social
nallyproposedtocorrect, Phenomenology and Democracy;Trotsky,and others,suggesting
Artis mustreading. thatofthepartiesoftheleft,itwas principally
amongtheFrankfurt Schoolthat" 'praxis'be-
came a theoretical, methodological category
Origin and Significance of the Frankfurt rather thana concretenotionofhistorical class
School: A Marxist Perspective, by PHIL struggle"(p. 63). Littleis said abouttheun-
SLATER. Boston:Routledge & Kegan Paul, happy fates of these various, more
1977.185pp. $13.75cloth. practically-minded groups and movements,
however,and almostnothing-surprisingly-
BARRY M. KATZ abouttheoverwhelming forcesagainstwhich
Universityof California,Santa Cruz they were arrayed, namely the National
Socialist"Behemoth."Slatermakesan impor-
Sincethepublication in 1973ofTheDialecti- tantgeneralcriticism, butdubiously interprets
cal Imagination,MartinJay'shistoryof the the Frankfurt School positionof thethirties,
Frankfurt Institutefor Social Researchhas whenit was alreadypatently obviousthatthe
dominated the field of English-languagefateof Europewouldbe decidedin war,and
Frankfurt School studies.Jayarguedtheun- not in the polemicalpages of emigrenews-
settlingthesisthatit maywell have been the papers,as a comprehensive orientationtoward
"relativeautonomy"of the groupof neo- politics.Max Horkheimer mighthave been
Marxists aroundMax Horkheimer, andindeed, speakingdirectly to Slaterwhenhe wrote,ina
theirpracticalisolationfromday-to-day politi- 1973essayfromwhichtheauthordrawsliber-
cal conflicts,
thatcontributed to theirtheoreti- ally,thatmanyintellectuals
cal achievements in the1930sandearly1940s. cannotbear the thoughtthatthe kindof
A seriouschallengeto this interpretation is thinkingwhichis mosttopical,whichhasthe
nowavailableintherecentbookbyPhilSlater deepestgraspofthehistorical situation,and
(notto be confusedwithPhilipThePursuitof is mostpregnant withthe future,mustat
LonelinessSlater),whereexactlytheopposite certaintimesisolateits subjectand throw
claimis argued,thatinfactthemostfundamen- himback on himself.
tal of the theoretical-notto say political-
errorssharedby membersof the Frankfurt The otherside of Slater'sthesis-thatthe
School can be tracedto theirconsciousdis- mostcreativeintellectual undertakings of the
tancefromthepoliticaland ideologicalstrug- Frankfurt Schoolhavebeen"superstructural"
gles swirlingaroundthem. and are notrootedin an economicanalysis-
Slaterdirectstwoimportant chargesagainst againraisesa formidable challengewhichwas
the CriticalTheoryof the Frankfurt School. inadequately metbymembers oftheFrankfurt
First,theirown methodological injunctions School,andtheiradvocates.Butagain,thereis
notwithstanding, it is allegedthattheynever almostno concreteindication ofprecisely how
succeededin achieving"a criticalrelationto thisshortcoming might alongwhat
be rectified,
politicalpraxis";thesecond,related,problem lines an economic analysis mightbe con-
withtheirworkappearsto be thattheirstudies structed.

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 THEORY 729
Finally,a wordaboutformand contentis integration
hopesofthe1950s.The his-
apposite.The formatof thisstudyresembles toricbasis for that split is analyzed
certainlogic textbooks,wherenearlyevery (chapter4).
paragraph is titledandnumbered: 71 chapters, (5.) Othercontroversies over theoryand
sections,andsubsections in a textofless than methodare examined.Sociologistsare
150pages!Thisbecomesa probleminsofaras accused of laggingbehindotherbe-
so manysubdivisions fragmentSlater'spresen- havioraland naturalsciences in that
tation with the result that a great many sociologistsalmostunanimously retain
provocative and illuminatinginsights-on theirexpectation, or wish,fora single
Brecht,Lukacs, the studentmovement-are generaltheory forallofsociology(chap-
stated,barelydevelopedin threeor fourpara- ter5). Thedisputesovertheappropriate
graphs,and leftbehindat dizzyingspeed. structureor formfortheoriesand over
theexistenceof a singlemethodforall
sociologyand all scienceare appraised
(chapter6).
(6.) The lastpartofthebookattendsto pe-
Fhe CurrentState of Sociological Theory:A rennialethicaland politicalissues,re-
Critical Interpretation,by LEON H. WAR- centlyrevivedin sociology.Chapter7
SHAY. New York: David McKay Company, evaluates mutual criticismsbetween
1975.231 pp. $4.95 paper. radicaland liberal(and conservative)
sociologists.Chapter8 discussessome
DAVID R. SIMON* implications of these issues and dis-
Universityof NorthFlorida putes.(xvii-xviii)
Perhapsthebestthatcan be said aboutthis Given the generality of description, there
volumeis thatitconstitutes a modestbeginning arisesa realquestionconcerning theintended
in assessing the state of contemporaryaudienceof thebook. Undergraduates taking
sociologicaltheory.The depthofdiscussionin theirfirstcoursein theoryshouldbe largely
the volumedoes not get muchbeyondWar- bewildered bythissuperficial collectionofde-
shay'sown summaries. scriptions.To themsociologywillnotlooklike
a disciplineas muchas it willhistory'sworst
(1.) Modemsociologyis dominated bysmall case of multiple Whilemanywill
personality.
theoriesand empiricism ratherthanby admitthediscipline hassomedandytheoretical
largetheories orschools.Someexplana- disputes,italso possessessomeinteresting at-
tionsareoffered forthisdomination and tempts at synthesis whichWarshayhaschosen
itis treatedwithsomesympathy (chap- todownplay. Marxists, forexample,haveseri-
ter 1). ously looked into the worksof C. Wright
(2.) Examinationof currentlargetheories Mills,Weber,symbolicinteractionists, ethno-
shows continuinginterestin organ- methodologists,exchange and systems
izational,interactionist, and, perhaps, theorists, andnotwithout someinteresting re-
functionalist theoriesand increasing sults.
interestin ecological,exchange,con- Perhaps,beginningor advancedgraduate
flict,and phenomenological theories students willfindthisa usefulsummary, butto
(chapter2). methisseemsunlikely. Whilethereis a useful
(3.) Othertrendsare consideredincluding bibliography here,Warshay'sarguments are
tendencies to opensystems theories and madein suchhastethatone feelstheauthoris
to integration ofconsensusandconflict tacitlysayingto thereader"you knowwhatI
theories.Also examinedare renewed mean,ofcourse."Alltoooftenitis notappar-
directionstoward comparativeand entwhatis meant.Forexample,thecriticism is
interdisciplinary sociology.Thereis the made throughoutthat elementarism char-
further conclusion thatsociology retains acterizessociologicaltheoryas a whole,as
a microorientation despitesomemacro well as manyspecifictheories.Nowhereare
attempts (chapter3). we givena definition of elementarism which
(4.) Thefieldis polarizedphilosophically by would allow studentsto comprehendwhat
a (new) humanist-positivist split,this wouldbe requiredfortheoryto movebeyond
havingfrustrated the Theory-Methodthe elementary (concept)level. Many other
termsare sorelyin need of explicitdefinition
Editor'sN.ote:Notthereviewer forthelisting (e.g., humanism,
responsible historicism,formalisticde-
in "DelinquentReviews." terminism). It is notthatthesetermsaretotally

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