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A philosophical concept, particularly within the work of Simone de Beauvoir and Emmanuel Levinas, where the 'Other' is that which is perceived as different and separate from the self, often leading to devaluation or oppression.

A philosophical critique by Adorno and Horkheimer, where they argue that Enlightenment rationality, while aiming to liberate humans from superstition, ironically led to new forms of domination and social control.

A term used by Baudrillard to describe the state where the real and the simulation of reality become blurred, leading to a situation where reality is replaced by a hyperreal - the more real than real.

A term describing an aesthetic experience where something is so immense or powerful that it cannot be fully comprehended or appreciated by reason alone. In critical theory, the sublime might shed light on the limits of human understanding and the impossibility of fully capturing certain experiences.

Developed by Deleuze and Guattari, a rhizome is a metaphorical concept describing theory and research that allows for multiple, non-hierarchical entry and exit points in data representation and interpretation.

This term was developed by Michel Foucault and suggests that power and knowledge are not independent but rather interconnected. Knowledge is shaped and driven by power relations, and power is exercised through the production of knowledge.

Jurgen Habermas's term for a type of rationality directed toward understanding and consensus formation, as opposed to instrumental rationality. This form of rationality is foundational for democratic societies and is achieved through communication free of coercion.

In Kantian philosophy and critical theory, this is the process of forming judgments about things without definite concepts, through a reflective process of searching for universal communicability and sensus communis.

A term used by Max Horkheimer to describe a way of reasoning that focuses on efficiency, control, and utility, rather than on moral or ethical considerations; it is critiqued for contributing to the dehumanization and domination of nature and people.

Jean Baudrillard's concept that describes how reality becomes replaced by symbols and signs, and how the human experience is of a simulation of reality. Baudrillard argues that society has become so saturated with these simulacra that they have become more real than the reality they represent.

A concept where social relations are perceived as characteristics of things rather than relationships between people. Lukács described this phenomenon, which results in individuals perceiving human-created social systems as natural, unchangeable constructs.

Guy Debord's theory on the authentic life being replaced by mere representation, in which real experiences are supplanted by their mediated images, creating a society where commodities rule the workers instead of being ruled by them.

The idea, developed by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, that popular culture in capitalist societies operates as an industry producing standardized content which impedes individuals' critical thinking abilities, leading to a passive acceptance of the status quo.

Jurgen Habermas's concept of a virtual or imaginary community that serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and critical debate; the public sphere is seen as a space for participatory democracy outside of governmental influence.