Habermas Essay

1779 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Social theory

Summarise and discuss the main contributions of Habermas’s theory of communicative action.

As a critical theorist of the rationalist standpoint, Habermas disagreed with the epistemological perspective of rationality portrayed by the positivist school of thought and the concept of modernity which stemmed from Capitalism. Jürgen Habermas’s Theory of Communicative Action (TCA) incorporates Marx’s paradigm whilst also building upon the well known classical theorists and philosophers of social sciences such as Parsons, Weber, Mead and Durkheim (cited in Eriksen and Weigard, 2003). This this essay will summarise and discuss the main contributions of Habermas’s TCA using examples throughout to illustrate his concepts.

Habermas’s TCA was first published in 1981 in a collection of critical essays spread out over two volumes. Volume one: Reasons and the rationalization of society (McCarthy, 1985) and Theory of Communicative Action, Volume two: Critique of Functionalist Reason (Habermas: 1987). The most part of Habermas’s writing was concerned with a more modern approach to Verstehende sociology by looking at three main principles (a) Phenomenological (b) Linguistic and (c) Hermeneutic. (Outhwaite, 2009). The Phenomenological brought a constitution to the everyday lives of individuals whereas the Linguistic structure of communication is used to establish a normative understanding of society as Habermas (1985) states that ‘access to symbolically pre-structured reality cannot be gained by observation alone” thus his principle of Hermeneutics enables readers with the knowledge to interpret (also known as the Science of Interpretation) (Ref: the hermeneutic Approach:ref). His writings developed the idea that actors in society seek to re...

... middle of paper ...

... end. His writing on ‘life world’ and ‘system’ he uses these two concepts to bring about an understanding that though language is a medium of communication; hence the four vadlilty claims, communication on its own is still a broader concept has he relates it culture and social capital in the social sciences. The essay discuss the way in which rationalization has been embedded within as a force which when looked upon within the modern capitalist societies ‘system’ the ‘life-world’ loses its power as the expense of theses forces. Thus he takes up examples of transactions for the gain of money. It is seen that Habermas’s use of language echoes that of other philosophers of social science it can be seen that he has done this to help familiarise the concepts and bring understanding to his TCA but he aim to make clear his different viewpoints

Show More
Related

  • Making And Remaking On City Road

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    ‘Society makes and remakes people, but society is also made and remade by the multiple connections and disconnections between people, and between people, places and things’ (Havard, 2014, p.67).

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Nickel And Dimed

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book displays two social concepts, conflict theory and structural-functionalism. Conflict theory is defined as “a theory propounded by Karl Marx that claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition

    Read More

  • Mein Kampf Essay

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Holocaust has become the worst event in human history but why did it happen? Mein Kampf was written by who many would consider one of the evilest men to walk the earth; a man whose ideas committed one of the worst crimes in all of the man kinds history on this earth. Adolf Hitler with only his voice took the lives of millions of homosexuals, gypsies, blacks, disabled people and most of all Jewish people just for not being a part of what he viewed as the perfect race. Mein Kampf was used as an outline for the Holocaust and used against the already hurting Germany to effectively execute on of the vilest acts in history.

    Read More

  • Essay 4

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    In book one of the metamorphoses, Ovid talks of artists, and how art can be used to create and transform. Metamorphoses means transformation or change, so in one word, Ovid’s title tells the reader what is to come. Ovid uses art in the Metamorphoses to prove a point. To show how strong the human spirit is, or to teach you to watch what you say, because you never know who is around. The story of Arachne displays a great example of watching what you say. Minerva hears Arachne saying that she is the greatest weaver, and Minerva sets out to prove her wrong. With Daedalus and Icarus, Daedalus uses his art to try and find an escape for him and his son. Showing just how strong he is and how much he cares for his son. For Pygmalion, his art shows the power of his love and how much he wants to find the proper woman for himself.

    Read More

  • The Imporality Of Machiavelli's Consequences Of Morality

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moreover, Ernst Cassirer sees Machiavelli’s work as tussle between “facts” and the “values” (Nederman 2005). In other words, Ernst Cassirer claims that the belief system is not ought to be the truth system more so considering the fact that political dynamics and morals are

    Read More

  • essay 4

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    The early hominins of Africa were similar to other hominins in gross anatomical features, however, there were differences between the early hominins of Africa and other hominins, such as those found in Asia and other parts of the world as discovered in fossil remains. Not only were there some differences in the anatomical structures, there were also evidentiary differences in their culture and environmental factors in their lives, especially as the species evolved. Below, I will compare some of the differences of the early African hominins to other hominins as well as discuss how they might have lived day to day and show how the evidence supports these findings.

    Read More

  • essay 4

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Antisocial personality disorder is a personality disorder marked by a general pattern of disregard for a violation of other people’s rights. Explanations of antisocial personality disorder come from the psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and biological models. As with many other personality disorders, psychodynamic theorists propose that this disorder starts with an absence of parental love during infancy leading to a lack of basic trust. In this view, the children that develop this disorder respond to early inadequacies by becoming emotionally distant, and they bond with others through use of power and destructiveness. Behavioral theorists have suggested that antisocial symptoms may be learned through modeling, or imitation. As evidence, they point to the higher rate of antisocial personality disorder found among the parents of people with this disorder. Other behaviorists suggest that some parent’s unintentionally teach antisocial behavior by regularly awarding a child’s aggressive behavior. The cognitive view says that people with this disorder hold attitudes that trivialize the importance of other people’s needs. Cognitive theorists also believe that these people have a genuine difficulty recognizing a point of view other than their own. Finally studies show that biological factors may play an important role in developing antisocial disorder. Researchers have found that antisocial people, particularly those with high impulse and aggression, display lower serotonin activity and has been linked this same activity with other studies as well.

    Read More

  • English essay

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Golding , the author of The Lord of the flies believes that evil resides in all human beings. The Lord of the Flies begins softly but nearing the end everything turns upside down. But would the world be the same way it is today without societal structure and rules? Only through societal structure, rules and order will humans be thought morality/principal and proper behaviour. The Lord of the Flies demonstrates what society would look like/resort to without any rules or guidance for man to follow. Others might believe this is true because of natural evil and actions done by individuals, a comparison through savagery and civilization, and certain truths in the world that are evil.

    Read More

  • Close but not Deep: The Use of Richness in Love’s Literary Ethics and the Descriptive Turn

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    The “hermeneutic activity –the practice of close reading” (373) is what Love evaluates next. The practice of close reading became the framework of hermeneutics in the early 20th century and has been the foundation of text evaluation since then, no matter what different literary approaches and cultural changes were present, since “the richness of texts continues to serve as a carrier for an allegedly superannuated humanism”(373). Her own assertion regarding the interpretation of texts can be interpreted in sev...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Habermas And Gadamer's Ideology

    1120 Words  | 3 Pages

    Four issues that be fundamental difference between Habermasian’s ideology critical and Gadamerian’s philosophical hermeneutics: (1) When Gadamer rehabilitate the concepts of prejudice, tradition and authority by associating these concepts with the front structure

    Read More

  • English Essay

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    The desolate and chaotic conditions of the society can have a significant amount of influence on the development on a certain character of a novel. For instance, at the time the novel, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky was written, the conditions of the setting, was very chaotic and was in turmoil. Crime and Punishment took place in Russia, where Russia during the time Crime and Punishment was written was suffering due to economical downfalls and failure of the poor reforms of Tsar Alexander II; ultimately transforming Russia into a poverty-stricken country. The failure of Alexander’s reforms affected much of setting in which Crime and Punishment was written in, which ultimately contributed in character development of Raskolinokov. This is evident through the use of metaphor, which Dostoevsky uses to compare the state of the country to Raskolinkov’s apartment.

    Read More

  • Martin Buber’s Dialogic Communication

    2288 Words  | 5 Pages

    Dialogue is more than talking. It is not the straightforwardness of talking to or at, rather it is communicating with or between. It is "a relation between persons that is characterized in more or less degree by the element of inclusion" (Buber, 97). Inclusiveness is an acknowledgment of the other person, an event experienced between two persons, mutual respect for both views and a willingness to listen to the views of the other. These elements are the heart of dialogical relations. In this paper I will examine Martin Buber’s theory of communication, its relevance to my life and the critiques of the theory.

    Read More

  • Thomas Hobbes Essay

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thomas Hobbes is the English philosopher, which is improved Western political philosophy and its terms like civil society, absolutism for the sovereign, right of the individual, legitimate power’s representativeness etc. In his famous book of Leviathan, he showed sovereign’s political order’s artificial character and what life would be without government which named as state of nature by the Hobbes. In this state like all people in the world also they will try to survive for their life and avoid their acts which can cause their death. According to Hobbes, the best possibilty for diminishing the possibilty of danger coming from another people is having social contract for establish civil society. According to Hobbes, the causes of conflicts are human’s innate behaivour like competitors for materials, feeling insecurity etc. In addition, thir fear of death can be advantage on the obeying their social contract for the peace. Law of nature’s rules are fundemental contract between people to avoid war which is the worst situation in the state. So to understand reasons of conflict and the solutions for long term peace firstly person should understand the law of nature’s requirements and Hobbes’ ideas reason for permanent peace monarchy is the best form of government mechanism.

    Read More

  • Structure and Agency

    1549 Words  | 4 Pages

    Society is highly stratified when considering social classes i.e. - upper class, middle class, lower class, and working class citizens. That being said, not everyone has the same access to the superstructure; thus creating tension. The largest problem when considering structure and agency is the constant struggle and negotiation of power inequality. Among the asymmetry of power are two major disparities; class and gender. Thinking as a critical theorist, one must consider the individual’s participation in the public sphere; “The word means a false view of the world that is in the interests of the powerful citizens in order to keep the subordinate classes oppressed” (Habermas, 10). Though the public sphere is virtually a democratic sphere where ideas can circulate and opinions are formed there are certain restrictions when referring to lower classes and women and thus how their agencies as individuals are limited.

    Read More

  • The Hermeneutic Conception of Culture

    4353 Words  | 9 Pages

    Heidegger, the founder of the hermeneutic paradigm, rejected the traditional account of cultural activity as a search for universally valid foundations for human action and knowledge. His main work, Sein und Zeit (1927), develops a holistic epistemology according to which all meaning is context-dependent and permanently anticipated from a particular horizon, perspective or background of intelligibility. The result is a powerful critique directed against the ideal of objectivity. Gadamer shares with Heidegger the hermeneutic reflections developed in Sein und Zeit and the critique of objectivity, describing the cultural activity as an endless process of "fusions of horizons." On the one hand, this is an echo of the Heideggerian holism, namely, of the thesis that all meaning depends on a particular interpretative context. On the other hand, however, this concept is an attempt to cope with the relativity of human existence and to avoid the dangers of a radical relativism. In fact, through an endless, free and unpredictable process of fusions of horizons, our personal horizon is gradually expanded and deprived of its distorting prejudices in such a way that the educative process (Bildung) consists in this multiplication of hermeneutic experiences. Gadamer succeeds therefore in presenting a non-foundationalist and non-teleological theory of culture.

    Read More

More about Habermas Essay

Open Document