Proceedings of the XXIII World Congress of Philosophy

This paper highlights the idea that the Frankfurt School existing in the panorama of contemporary philosophical discussions in the process of developing of the main guidelines of society critical theory belongs to the ra-tionalistic historical-philosophical tradition. The appeal to Descartes’ “method of doubt” and Montaigne’s skepticism adds a cultural-historical foundation to Horkheimer’s conception. This reflective step is necessary for critical-theory, because it is directed to the analysis of the origins of the crisis of value orientations and the meaning of its own existence in the contemporary society, i.e., related to the spiritual crisis and cultural decline. That is why it is relevant for modern research in the field of political philosophy, political science, and for a wide range of social-political studies in whole.