Question 1

Once culture is a product of the machine it is capable of negating the oppressive conformity.

Accepted Answer

Culture, as a complex system of values, beliefs, and practices, is not solely a product of the machine or technology. While technology can influence culture and potentially offer tools for resisting oppressive conformity, culture's ability to negate such conformity depends on human agency, social structures, and historical contexts, not just technological advancements.

Question 2

Repressive desublimation is produced from the conflict between sexuality and society.

Accepted Answer

Repressive desublimation is a concept from Herbert Marcuse's book "Eros and Civilization", which argues that capitalist society suppresses human sexuality, leading to a conflict between the individual's sexual desires and societal norms. This conflict can result in a process of repressive desublimation, in which individuals are encouraged to express their desires in socially acceptable forms, such as consumerism or obsession with celebrity culture, rather than confronting the underlying societal restrictions on sexual expression.

Question 3

We may distinguish both true and false needs. _______are those which are superimposed upon the individual by particular social interests in his repression: the needs which perpetuate toil, aggressiveness, misery, and injustice.
A) "False"
B) "True"
C) "Basic"
D) "Human"

Accepted Answer

The statement clearly refers to "false needs" that are imposed upon individuals by social interests and perpetuate negative aspects in society.

Question 4

Collins coined the term standpoint epistemology.

Accepted Answer

The term "standpoint epistemology" was developed within feminist theory, particularly by scholars like Sandra Harding and Patricia Hill Collins, but Collins did not coin the term. She contributed significantly to its development by applying it within the context of Black feminist thought.

Question 5

"Progress" is not a neutral term; it moves toward specific ends, and these ends are defined by the possibilities of ameliorating the human condition. ______________is approaching the stage where continued progress would demand the radical subversion of the prevailing direction and organization of progress.
A) Social beinghood
B) Advanced industrial society
C) America
D) Eastern thought

Accepted Answer

The statement refers to the prevailing direction and organization of progress, which suggests a reference to a societal or economic context. Option B, advanced industrial society, fits this description and is commonly associated with the concept of progress. None of the other options (social beinghood, America, Eastern thought) are directly relevant to the statement.

Question 6

The critical theorists' framework extends but does not depart from central Marxist ideas.

Accepted Answer

Critical theory extends and departs from central Marxist ideas by incorporating other social theories and critiques, such as those related to culture, ideology, and power, beyond traditional Marxist economic determinism.

Question 7

The critical theorists failed to provide a specific account of the mechanisms for social change.

Accepted Answer

While critical theorists emphasized the need for social change and identifying oppressive structures, they did not provide a specific plan or mechanism for achieving that change.

Question 8

As societies evolve, both the state and the economy develop their own formal structure and mechanisms for self-organization, according to Habermas.

Accepted Answer

According to Habermas, as societies evolve, both the state and the economy develop their own formal structure and mechanisms for self-organization.

Question 9

Collins maps "differences in penalty and privilege that accompany, all listed except
A) reparations
B) gender
C) race
D) social injustice

Accepted Answer

Collins maps differences in penalty and privilege that accompany various social categories and constructs such as gender, race, and social injustice, but does not specifically list reparations as a category in this context.

Question 10

Objective reason allows us to determine the most efficient way of achieving our goals.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Objective reason allows us to determine the...

Question 11

Habermas served as _________ assistant from 1956 to 1959 at the Institute for Social Research, which by then had relocated to Frankfurt, Germany.
A) Lukács'
B) Horkheimer
C) Adorno's
D) Freud's

Accepted Answer

Habermas served as Adorno's assistant at the Institute for Social Research.

Question 12

Collins maps "differences in penalty and privilege that accompany race, class, gender and similar systems of social injustice."

Accepted Answer

Collins is known for her work on intersectionality, which examines how different social identities (such as race, class, gender, etc.) intersect and interact with each other to create unique experiences of privilege and oppression. Specifically, she looks at how these systems of social injustice result in differential treatment and outcomes based on one's identity.

Question 13

Collins uses the term matrix of domination to underscore that one's position in society is made up of multiple contiguous standpoints rather than just one essentialist standpoint.

Accepted Answer

Collins argues that an individual's position in society is shaped by multiple intersecting social categories such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability rather than just one essentialist standpoint. This complex web of social relations is referred to as a matrix of domination.

Question 14

Explain how Weber is connected to Horkheimer's distinction between subjective and objective reason.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how Weber is connected to Horkheimer's...

Question 15

Horkheimer's description of the modern world defines usefulness on technological grounds.

Accepted Answer

Horkheimer believed that in the modern world, usefulness was defined by technology and efficiency, which could lead to a devaluation of human emotions and values.

Question 16

The critical theorists believed there are no timeless empirical truths subject to scientific discovery and proof.

Accepted Answer

Critical theorists believe that reality is shaped by power dynamics, and therefore scientific truths are not objective but are rather influenced by social and political factors. Therefore, they reject the idea of timeless empirical truths that can be scientifically proven.

Question 17

Who coined the term standpoint epistemology?
A) Collins
B) Smith
C) Habermas
D) Adorno

Accepted Answer

The term standpoint epistemology was coined by philosopher and feminist, Dorothy E. Smith in her 1987 book "The Everyday World as Problematic: A Feminist Sociology." Smith argues that knowledge and understanding are situated in the lived experiences and social locations of individuals, and therefore different social groups have different perspectives or standpoints that shape knowledge and understanding.

Question 18

Habermas defines communicative action as the process in which individuals come to mutual understanding and consensus through closed, coercive debate and discussion freed from the corrosive effects of money, power, and manipulation.

Accepted Answer

Habermas defines communicative action as the process in which individuals aim to reach mutual understanding and consensus through open, non-coercive dialogue, emphasizing the importance of rational communication free from domination by money, power, and manipulation.

Question 19

The new technological work-world does not enforce a weakening of the negative position of the working class.

Accepted Answer

The new technological work-world has led to an increase in precarious and low-paying jobs, leading to a further weakening of the working class.

Question 20

Explain the parallels between Horkheimer's conceptions of reason with Marcuse's conceptions of rationality.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the parallels between Horkheimer's conceptions of...

Quiz 10: Critical Theory