A commodity may appear at first sight to be a trivial or a very obvious thing but when analysed properly then the findings may suggest that is actually a very strange thing. Commodity fetishism and reification explain that objects can be transformed into subjects and vice versa. A commodity might be a totally different thing after it has been processed. The relationship between commodity fetishism and reification is that while fetishism is the social relationship of involved in the production of a commodity reification involves objectification of these social relations.
Critical theory in sociology is designed in a way that it aims at making the society a different place as a whole bycritiquing other than merely understanding it as was the case with previous theories (Kellne 1989). From Marx they draw the establishment of rational institutions. Marcuse criticized the things which he viewed as controlling the society such as entertainment, capitalism and modern technology.He gives the example of using the television for socialization and placation of the people. He retained Marx view that technology is not a permanent problem and can be the solution required to improve the society. The solution he offers is a suggestion that there should be drastic change which makes technology and techniques the means to an end to the desired goals and needs of the people.
According to Ritzer critical theorists are neomarxist. According to the professor Emigh definition critical theories are neomarxist and the definitions are similar. This matters because both definitions are important in understanding neomarxism better therefore they should not be contradicting. Tuner views critical theory as an outgrowth of enlightment and I think this is because it is based on Marx and Weber’s ideologies and its main purpose is to improve on the society from those ideologies.
References
McCarthy, T. (1981). The critical theory of JurgenHabermas.
Kellner, D. (1989). Critical theory, Marxism and modernity.