The article invites a new interdisciplinary analysis of authoritarian movements, given the recent growth of authoritarianism in the United States and in Europe. The electoral victory of Donald Trump and the growth of right-radical movements in Western Europe show that authoritarianism is gaining ground in countries with long democratic traditions. The article calls for the integration of studies into authoritarianism into academic research programmes funded by education and learning authorities.

The article presents the main themes of the philosophy of Max Horkheimer, a representative of the Frankfurt School, starting from their social theory, with close affinities to the ideas of Karl Marx, up to the concept of transcendence and eschatological longings, which seem to be close to the views of Arthur Schopenhauer.