Positivism, Hermenutics and critical-Cultural theory are three scientific discourses that appeared in 1960 decade. Critical view has challenged other discourses seriously. The content of the critical theory is somehow the negation and verification of different fields, such as science, economics, politic, education and mass culture of late modern society. Late modern society was gradually shaped by the formation of welfare state in the twentieth century. At this stage, capitalist society distanced from the primary ideal situation or liberal- Democracy and confronted by the widespread crisis. The philosophy foundation of the critical theory is based upon the epistemology which is related to thetrilateral interests: positive sciences or technical, hermeneutical and emancipatory. The difference between this theory and other critical theories is its emancipatory character.
The article tries to make distinction and to show the related difference: ideological aspect of positivism, conservative aspect of hermenutics and relativist view of postmodernism towards knowledge.