alembic finished reading Critical theory by Stephen Eric Bronner
This book, while no mean task to produce, fails to be effective as a short introduction. It takes a lot of work to be both effective and short, and that work seems to be missing. Other shortcomings also give the sense of a work that was “tossed off”. In addition to typos, there does not seem to be much thought given to how the material is presented, apart from addressing individual topics in chapters. Within a chapter the text moves along, using obtuse language that should not be expected to be familiar to someone in need of a short introduction to critical theory. Only someone already conversant would find it anything but a slog. Words such as ontology, eschatology, dialectic, though not specific to critical theory, are used liberally, while concepts specific to critical theory are used without introduction or definition.
