Does modernity have a normative content? On the possibility of a critical social theory under conditions of contingency

Always, the background of critical social theory have been the reasons give n for its normative point of view. Until the advance of sociology a wide va riety of discourses tried to reconstruct the normative content of modern so ciety, but sociology's stress on contingency questioned the possibility of that kind of critical social theory. Since Weber, at the latest, a critical social theory seems doubtful. The article discusses the contribution of Ad orno, Habermas and Bauman to this problem. In contrast to their views I wil l try to show that on the basis of a critique of knowledge we can draw a no rmative conclusion: The fact that we cannot give reasons for norms no longe r serves as an argument against a critical social theory. Rather, this very impossibility may be considered as the normative content of modern society .