The rise of positivism in the West has done a great deal to undermine and destroy the traditions by which people used to live. Modern society leads to highly specialized, differentiated, and fragmented lives. We have lost the sense of community that once characterized us. We have lost our ties to the past. We now work to get things rather than for the dignity of work itself.
Critical theory encourages a reflection on the meaning of work, life, etc.
Positivism encourages control over the various parts of our lives, does not worry about human interests, or why people do what they do. Critical Theory and Meaning of Action 1. Assumes that it is possible to reflect on the use of language and thereby come to understand the way in which reality is socially constructed. In its examination of the rules of interaction, it assumes that people are not always aware of the rules by which they live and by which they organize their Experience of the world. Such rules might have unintended consequences.