A lényegen innen és túl. A pozitivizmus-vita dilemmái
The Popper/Adorno Controversy

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines the “Positivist Dispute“ (Positivismusstreit), a methodological debate carried out by Theodor Adorno, Karl Popper and their disciples during the 1960s. Concentrating on the contributions by Jürgen Habermas and Hans Albert, the paper argues that Habermas made two important claims during the debate, namely that (1) sociology can change society, and (2) Popper’s falsificationism hinders sociology’s capabilities to effect change. The paper also argues that Hans Albert, Habermas’ chief opponent in the debate, failed to address any of these claims adequately. Since both claims may make sense in a Popperian framework, it seems contentious that the Positivist Dispute could be rightly described as a stalemate between Hegelian Marxism and Popper’s critical rationalism. Rather, it seems that the two sides simply failed to understand each other’s terminology, and thus were unable to discuss a question which is just as open and actual today as it was in the 1960s.

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