Criticism

Under criticism refers to the evaluation of an object or an action based on standards. As the philosopher Anne- Barb Hertkorn has pointed out, criticism is thus " a basic function of thinking reason and will, if it is applied to one's own thinking, an essential feature of uplifting validity claim judgment. "

Besides the importance of the assessment test and their corresponding utterance in words, referred to criticism - especially in the form of the verb criticize - even a complaint, quirk or a rebuke. In former socialist countries according to Duden as " errors and omissions objectionable [ public ] critical opinion as a means of political and social development ".

• 5.1 Refer to criticism also

Etymology

The word "criticism" was taken from the French at the end of the 17th century. The French word in turn critique is Greek κριτική [ τέχνη ] back ( kritiké [ techne ], derived from κρίνειν krinein, divorce [ under - ] ',' separate ').

Conceptual history

Literary criticism

In German the term " criticism" first appeared in the late 17th century, where he first was used in reference to the French usage in literary theory. Inspired by thinkers such as Pierre Bayle ( Dictionnaire historique et critique, 1695-97 ) rule poetics developed in German-speaking countries such as Johann Christoph Gottscheds attempt to Critische poetry ( 1730). The term " literary criticism " referred to in this context is not so much the review of individual literary works, but rather the literary theoretical discourse, the use Gottsched tried to enforce his rule poetic ideas as the basis of a conceptual and aesthetic value of literature normative.

Lessing held to the rule poetics and not much developed in the 18th century the concept of a discursive literary criticism, as its starting point the reader with the text the personal confrontation. This concept has been widely expanded and differentiated, but is still up to date.

In addition to literary criticism numerous other forms of criticism to date have emerged, such as theater criticism, art criticism, architecture, criticism, music criticism, film criticism, gastronomy critique and the games criticism.

Philosophy

In England Shaftesbury in 1711 developed a universal concept of critique, which he attributed to human nature. Even his pupil Henry Home saw the source of criticism in nature.

Epistemology

Not only Gottscheds but also Immanuel Kant's concept of critique was directly influenced by Pierre Bayle. Bayle had critics described as an activity that distinguish the reason of the disclosure; Kant used the term in this sense, for the first time 1763/64:

" A rational knowledge that has principia no other than empirical terms, can only be a critique [ ... ]. "

Later Kant used the term criticism in the sense of questioning, but by analysis and testing, for example in his 1781 published epistemological main work Critique of Pure Reason, but also in the two later " reviews " ( Critique of Practical Reason, 1788; criticism of judgment, 1790).

In the same sense, Karl Marx used the term, as in his work Critique of Political Economy (1859 ).

Foucault

The task of criticism can be made more restrictive or more. Narrower criticism is the evaluation of an object or a behavior. In contrast, see philosophers such as Michel Foucault, the task of criticism in a broader or judging objects überschreitendem frame. Then it should be the main object of criticism, to make the "system of assessment itself " marked.

This distinction is made because reviews a certain standard system (→ normativity ) and thus correspond to the criticism and the subject who perform such an evaluation, submit to a predetermined standard. This standard system can be, for example, referred to as the "truth." To escape from this bondage of submission, Foucault offers to question the system of assessment itself and etc. to make about the meaning and purpose of these "truths ", " discourse " an intrinsically complete picture. The goal is to escape the mechanisms of coercion, the required a subject to can be molded.

Criticism is not something general, but a specific activity of each reflection on a subject of reflection, which is made ​​of a very specific place. These places or positions are referred to, depending on the epistemic context with the terms institutionalized practice, discourse, episteme or institution.

Criticism is no longer recognizable as a criticism if " they stand alone as a purely generalizable practice. " Here is bordered criticism of other terms, such as fault-finding, from.

Sociology

The representatives of critical theory subjected to Marx's writings a comprehensive reinterpretation. So they understood not as a philosophy of history or economics teaching, but as ( ideology ) criticism of the bourgeois- capitalist society. Their key messages The Critical Theory developed into a cultural-critical meta-theory of Western industrial culture.

Criticism in other scientific disciplines

A central task of the historian is the source of criticism; this is the specific methods following assessment of those written and non- written sources from which the study of history draws its findings.

Among the methods held by the editorial theory counts the textual criticism, which was developed in the 19th century, inter alia, by Friedrich Schleiermacher, Karl Lachmann and Friedrich August Wolf and includes the tools, which is required for the development of historical- critical editions of literary and other texts. This is true even for Bible texts. The historical-critical method, which is the standard method of biblical interpretation today in the Protestant and Catholic theology comprises about textual criticism addition, but also methods such as literary criticism, redaction criticism, form criticism and tradition criticism.

Colloquial meaning of "critique "

As communication about problems is an essential prerequisite criticism that problems can be solved. Since no one likes to see questioned his actions, it is usually perceived by the recipient as unpleasant. Conversely, people also reluctant to give criticism because they know that this is hardly welcome. The learned skill, not take criticism as an attack against one's own person, but as a useful guide for action improvements, and the learned ability to criticize and to formulate so that it can hurt rather than motivated on the contrary, is called criticism competence.

Criticism

A distinction must be active and passive criticism. When the term is used without one of these attributes, the type should arise from the context, otherwise the quality of the source is questionable. Both forms are usually classified gradually.

• Active criticism capability means the ability to be able to offer constructive criticism. This ability is associated with judgment and empathic communication skills in general.
• Passive criticism means being able to use criticism constructively received. For additional factors such as emotional self-control and empathic assessment of the object of critique are relevant.

See to criticism also

• Criticism competence