The Utopian Motif Is Suspended: Conversation with Leo Lowenthal

An account is given of a conversation with Leo Lowenthal. The focus of his efforts now, as in the past, is on the critique of ideology. He points out that critical theory, despite its denial of the existence of a revolutionary subject, was itself created by political activists. At the same time, he sees human progress as leading to greater opportunities for oppression & violence. He sees current movements, such as the ecological movement, as continuations of nineteenth-century liberalism. Lowenthal also recognizes a Jewish-messianic element as having contributed to critical theory. W. H. Stoddard