Habermas and the Foundations of Critical Theory

Abstract

In conformity with the aim of this series of books on theoretical and philosophical traditions in the social sciences, I have attempted to introduce the reader to the work of Habermas from its earliest formulations to its most recent in order to further debate and discussion, and not to present as a finished product a body of work that is still developing. The complexity of Habermas's project, as well as the multiplicity of theoretical currents upon which he draws, demanded that I select a focus for my account which would highlight its fundamental claims without losing the reader in a mass of inessential detail. To this end, I began with two problems that appear and reappear throughout his work: the problem of developing a justification for the normative dimension of critical social theory; and the problem of establishing a connection between the theory and political practice. Both problems can be traced back to Marx and followed throughout the subsequent development of the Marxist tradition, although they appear in particularly acute form in the elaboration of his social theory developed by the Frankfurt school. The first involves what is to count as a rational criticism of society, while the second is directed at how such criticisms are to aid in the construction of a society that is actually more rational. At attempt to answer them thus requires an account of rationality developed at, at least, two levels: a formal account of the concept; and an account of its social and historical embodiment in institutions, modes of production, and ways of life. Harbermas attempts to supply such an account explicitly in his latest work and it is implicit in his early work. This theme serves as the guiding-thread of my account and it is primarily in this context that I place the work of Habermas. To proceed in this way requires that I address philosophical, sociological and political issues: a combination of concerns that are a leading feature of Habermas's own work and one which generates much of the interest in it.