Max Horkheimer: Outsider of the Bourgeoisie and Entrepreneur in Critical Theory

No one embodies what became known as the "Frankfurt School" in the 1960s quite like Max Horkheimer. The son of a textile manufacturer took over the leadership of the Marxist Institute for Social Research in 1930 with the aim of presenting an alternative to the world of competition and profit that characterized his father's life—one dedicated to knowledge and shaped by solidarity. Forced into exile by the Nazis, the institute became a hub for collaboration among intellectuals from various disciplines and continued to influence the intellectual development of the Federal Republic even after returning to Germany. This new, contemporary account of Horkheimer's life and work provides an introduction and a comprehensive overview of this central thinker of the 20th century.