In philosophy, the term critical theory describes the neo-Marxist philosophy of the

Frankfurt School, which was developed in Germany in the 1!"s# Frankfurt theorists
drew on the critical methods of $arl Marx and Si%mund Freud# &ritical theory
maintains that ideolo%y is the principal obstacle to human liberation#
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&ritical
theory was established as a school of thou%ht primarily by *ve Frankfurt School
theoreticians+ ,erbert Marcuse, -heodor .dorno, Max ,orkheimer, /alter 0en1amin,
and 2rich Fromm# Modern critical theory has additionally been in3uenced by Gy4r%y
5uk6cs and .ntonio Gramsci, as well as the second %eneration Frankfurt School
scholars, notably 78r%en ,abermas# In ,abermas9s work, critical theory transcended
its theoretical roots in German idealism, and pro%ressed closer to .merican
pra%matism# &oncern for social :base and superstructure: is one of the remainin%
Marxist philosophic concepts in much of the contemporary critical theory#
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