1.5.8. Whoever Is Not Willing to Talk about Heidegger’s Relation to Nazi Fascism and Anti-Semitism, Should Also Keep Quiet About Heidegger in Respect to Capitalism and Critical Theory
When Max Horkheimer (1939/1989, 78) wrote in his essay The Jews and Europe that ‘whoever is not willing to talk about capitalism should also keep quiet about fascism’ (78), he expressed that there is an inherent connection of the logics of capitalism and fascism: ‘Fascism solidifies the extreme class diferences which the law of surplus value ultimately produced’ (Horkheimer 1939/1989, 78). It is disturbing that many of those who are impressed by Heidegger’s philosophy and try to use it in critical theory try to talk with Heidegger about capitalism, but keep quiet about Heidegger’s relationship to anti-Semitism and Nazi fascism. Whoever is not willing to discuss Heidegger’s relation to Nazi fascism and anti-Semitism shouldn’t discuss Heidegger in respect to capitalism and critical theory.
1.6. The Chapters in this Book
This book consists of five essays that contribute to grounding foundations of a dialectical critical theory of communication that takes a cultural materialist approach (see also Fuchs 2015a for a discussion of Cultural Materialism). Each chapter is focused on specific works of one critical theorist and their application: Georg Lukács (chapter 2), Theodor W. Adorno (chapter 3), Herbert Marcuse (chapter 4), Axel Honneth (chapter 5), and Jürgen Habermas (chapter 6). I will give a brief outline of these essays.
1.6.1. Chapter 2: Georg Lukács as a Communications Scholar: Cultural and Digital Labour in the Context of Lukács’ Ontology of Social Being
The task of this chapter is to apply thoughts from Georg Lukács’ final book, the Ontology of Social Being, to the theoretical analysis of cultural and digital labour. It discusses Lukács’ concepts of work and communication and relates them to the analysis of cultural and digital work. It also analyses his conception of the relation of labour and ideology and points out how we can make use of it for critically understanding social media ideologies. Lukács opposes the dualist separation of the realms of work and ideas. He introduces in this context the notion of teleological positing that allows us to better understand cultural and digital labour as well as associated ideologies, such as the engaging/connecting/sharingideology, today. The analysis shows that Lukács’ Ontology is in the age of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter still a very relevant book, although it has thus far not received the attention that it deserves. This chapter also introduces the Ontology’s main ideas on work and culture, which is important because large parts of the book have not been translated from the German original into English.
Introduction: Critical Theory of Communication
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