Focus is on the works of Juergen Habermas, Herbert Marcuse, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor Adorno. Critical theory draws its orientation from a variety of disciplines including linguistics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and Marxism. Explicit attention to these interdisciplinary concerns can enhance both the theoretical and methodological potential of criminology. More specific contributions include a qualification of the traditional positivistic emphasis on prediction and control in favor of a perspective that sees crime as a measure of social irrationality and an ability to offer a unique interpretation of the relationship between culture and social structure. Other contributions include an analytical scheme that contributes to macro-micro debate and a conception of science that contains standards for the selection of variables, a definite prescription for praxis or social change, and a perspective on the theory-practice relationship that is quite different from traditional empiricist/positivist methods. 16 footnotes and 120 references.