The application of Critical Theory to reason itself—examining how reason has been defined, who has been considered reasonable, and how reason has been used to exclude and dominate. Critical Theory of Reason asks: Why have women, people of color, and colonized peoples been deemed less rational? How has "reason" been defined against "emotion," "instinct," "body"—and how have those binaries served power? It doesn't abandon reason but insists on a reason that includes, that reflects, that knows its own history. Reason without self-critique becomes unreason.
"Enlightenment reason was supposed to liberate, but it also justified colonialism—'they're not rational enough to govern themselves.' Critical Theory of Reason asks: what kind of reason excludes half humanity? Reason can be a tool of liberation, but only if it remembers its own crimes. Critical theory insists on a reason that reflects, not just asserts."
by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 4, 2026
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