Foreword to show that a similar logic is at work in Manx's Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. Like Lukacs, Marx carries out a socially based"metacri- Two powerful ideologies contend in the world today, a technocratic ide. tique of philosophy which I explain in the first two chapters of this new logy based on science and economics, and various religious fundamentalisms What separates them philosophically is their attitude toward reason. Scientific This new version differs considerably from the original. I have retained and technical advance justify confidence in reason which, furthermo the principal theoretical concepts, but I have added two entirely new chapters supports progress in democracy and human rights in the advanced societies on the Frankfurt School (chapters 7 and 8)which provide a far better accou Naturalism and liberalism complement each other. Fundamentalisms reject of the relation of Critical Theory to the philosophy of praxis than the rather the rationalist pretension to explain all of reality. These ideologies react against sketchy one of the earlier edition. Chapter 4 presents a much revised evalua- the more unpleasant side effects of a brutal and unjust modernization process. tion of Lukacs' theory of reification. The earlier version of the book emph These dire effects have begun to overtake large sectors of the advanced socie- ized the Weberian and Hegelian influences on Lukacs. My research on elves, stimulating even there movements hostile to science around Heidegger for my book on Heidegger and Marcuse made me aware also of th religion, race and nationalism. Mystery returns with dire political conse- o-Kantian roots of the critique of reified objectivism in both Heidegger and Lukacs. This was an influence I had previously under-estimated. It is impor- In this increasingly troubled context, it is necessary to rethink the claims the interpretation toward the ontological sigr of the dominant rationalistic ideology. The Marxist philosophy of praxis is meaning in the constitution of worlds. Concepts such as Heidegger's Dasein among the most important resources for such a project. It promises a more and Lukacs"identical subject-object"are not substantial things but rather democratic version of rationalism compatible with science and technology but signify meaning- generating processes. also critical of the flaws of modernity. Whether it can deliver on that promise I have also been able to update my understanding of Lukacs concept of is very much in doubt, but its argument and its vision are worthy of considera- nature from study of his recently published Defence of History and Class tion even so. Perhaps a critical appreciation of this tradition can yield elements Consciousness. This text is the background to new chapters that address of an alternative philosophy respectful of both reason and humanity. This is Lukacs' critique of science and technology much more thoroughly(Chapters se in this book. 6-9). These chapters also draw on my research in philosophy of technology This book is a thoroughly revised and rewritten version of Lukacs, Marr solve problems left in suspense in the earlier version of the book. and the Sources of Crirical Theory. The original was published over 30 yea Finally, I have condensed and placed in an appendix two chapters on his- of a doctoral dissertation on Lukacs prep torical materialism and class consciousness that interrupted the flow of the for Herbert Marcuse at the University of California, San Diego. Like the nt in the earlier version of the book. present work, that earlier one was based on insights gained while writing that Lukacs, Marx and the Sources of Critical Theory was my first book. Over thesis but not fully developed in its pages. I attempt to explain the underlying the years I have looked back on it with logic of Lukacs' famous reification essay in Hisrory and Class Consciousne always believed there were good things in it, and this belief is occasionally in terms of three"demands of reason"that emerge from classical German confirmed by people who recall finding it helpful in navigating the flow of philosophy. According to Lukacs these demands are fulfilled not by specula- Lukacs complicated argument. On the other hand, there are many proble tion but by revolution. This is his interpretation of the famous"realization of with this first attempt. I have often thought about how I would write such a philosophy" for which Marx calls in his early writings, and most notably in book"today, my plans changing from year to year, decade to decade.The the eleventh"Thesis on Feuerbach. Chapter 5 of this new book presents the reading of Lukacs' defense of History and Class Consciousness against ortho- I now understand it. Soon after completing the thesis I was ableForeword Two powerful ideologies contend in the world today, a technocratic ide￾ology based on science and economics, and various religious fundamentalisms. What separates them philosophically is their attitude toward reason. Scientific and technical advance justify confidence in reason which, furthermore, supports progress in democracy and human rights in the advanced societies. Naturalism and liberalism complement each other. Fundamentalisms reject the rationalist pretension to explain all of reality. These ideologies react against the more unpleasant side effects of a brutal and unjust modernization process. These dire effects have begun to overtake large sectors of the advanced socie￾ties themselves, stimulating even there movements hostile to science around religion, race and nationalism. Mystery returns with dire political conse￾quences. In this increasingly troubled context, it is necessary to rethink the claims of the dominant rationalistic ideology. The Marxist philosophy of praxis is among the most important resources for such a project. It promises a more democratic version of rationalism compatible with science and technology but also critical of the flaws of modernity. Whether it can deliver on that promise is very much in doubt, but its argument and its vision are worthy of considera￾tion even so. Perhaps a critical appreciation of this tradition can yield elements of an alternative philosophy respectful of both reason and humanity. This is my purpose in this book. This book is a thoroughly revised and rewritten version of Lukács, Marx and the Sources of Critical Theory. The original was published over 30 years ago in 1981. The book grew out of a doctoral dissertation on Lukács prepared for Herbert Marcuse at the University of California, San Diego. Like the present work, that earlier one was based on insights gained while writing that thesis but not fully developed in its pages. I attempt to explain the underlying logic of Lukács’ famous reification essay in History and Class Consciousness in terms of three “demands of reason” that emerge from classical German philosophy. According to Lukács these demands are fulfilled not by specula￾tion but by revolution. This is his interpretation of the famous “realization of philosophy” for which Marx calls in his early writings, and most notably in the eleventh “Thesis on Feuerbach.” Chapter 5 of this new book presents the argument as I now understand it. Soon after completing the thesis I was able to show that a similar logic is at work in Marx’s Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. Like Lukács, Marx carries out a socially based “metacri￾tique” of philosophy which I explain in the first two chapters of this new book. This new version differs considerably from the original. I have retained the principal theoretical concepts, but I have added two entirely new chapters on the Frankfurt School (chapters 7 and 8) which provide a far better account of the relation of Critical Theory to the philosophy of praxis than the rather sketchy one of the earlier edition. Chapter 4 presents a much revised evalua￾tion of Lukács’ theory of reification. The earlier version of the book empha￾sized the Weberian and Hegelian influences on Lukács. My research on Heidegger for my book on Heidegger and Marcuse made me aware also of the neo-Kantian roots of the critique of reified objectivism in both Heidegger and Lukács. This was an influence I had previously under-estimated. It is impor￾tant because it orients the interpretation toward the ontological significance of meaning in the constitution of worlds. Concepts such as Heidegger’s Dasein and Lukács’ “identical subject-object” are not substantial things but rather signify meaning-generating processes. I have also been able to update my understanding of Lukács’ concept of nature from study of his recently published Defence of History and Class Consciousness. This text is the background to new chapters that address Lukács’ critique of science and technology much more thoroughly (Chapters 6-9). These chapters also draw on my research in philosophy of technology to solve problems left in suspense in the earlier version of the book. Finally, I have condensed and placed in an appendix two chapters on his￾torical materialism and class consciousness that interrupted the flow of the main argument in the earlier version of the book. Lukács, Marx and the Sources of Critical Theory was my first book. Over the years I have looked back on it with a mixture of pride and dismay. I have always believed there were good things in it, and this belief is occasionally confirmed by people who recall finding it helpful in navigating the flow of Lukács’ complicated argument. On the other hand, there are many problems with this first attempt. I have often thought about how I would write such a book “today,” my plans changing from year to year, decade to decade. The reading of Lukács’ defense of History and Class Consciousness against ortho-