The Ontological Status of Critique
Tóm tắt
Two previous papers by the author are summarized in order to provide the context for the arguments and results of the present paper. The author's previous research has identified the exact place where critique is epistemologically actioned and this enables the present paper to argue for the attribution of ontological status to critique. Since it is commonly acknowledged that a lack of critique results in dogmatism or bounded rationality, these latter two are investigated—in greater depth than previously considered in the literature—and, though they are shown to be inescapable, they provide a route toward a fundamental principle which systemically brings together ontological, epistemological, ethical, and emancipatory concerns. The principle can be stated as follows: One is more or less emancipated depending upon the extent to which one is aware of critique-bounded emancipation as an ontological necessity and thus to the degree to which one ceases to attempt escaping from practical critique into the realms of dogmatic emancipation and rationally bounded emancipation. The paper provides accurate definitions of critique and emancipation, showing that one cannot be considered without the other, thus framing the manner in which further discussion of these two intimately related issues can be continued. In keeping with the author's previous published research, the relevance of von Bertalanffy's deliberations to Critical Systems Thinking, as well as Sartre's philosophy to systems thinking in general, is upheld.
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