COMMUNICATIVE ACTION IN JURGEN HABERMAS’ POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: AN APPRAISAL

SOURCE:

Faculty: Arts
Department: Department Of Philosophy

CONTRIBUTORS:

JEKO, O. V;
MBAEGBU, C;

ABSTRACT:

ABSTRACT
This dissertation critically examines the Theory of Communicative Action in Habermas’ Political philosophy through the use of proper or sound dictate of reasoning in human interpersonal relationship since human society cannot progress without dialogue. Dialogue can only take place in a rational space with equal privileges to the participants. The problem of emancipated global society is the lack of the indispensability of dialogue that can creates the platform to rectify the lack of dialogue in global community. The models of collective decision making and collective rationality has become a contextual contemporary issue. However, solving the problem of the 21 st century requires coordinated rational action on a massive or global scale and purposive social activity. The models of collective rationality requires the idea of the institutional, social, political, cultural, linguistic and economic structures that will allow us to meet the challenges of this 21st century. However, Habermas’ philosophy is anchored on the theory of society, truth, communicative ethics, social order, social change and the new- world- order. It premises on free and open communication. We need to engage in a free and open communication or dialogic communication in order to strengthen the system-life-world. We shall adopt the methods of phenomenology and hermeneutics. Phenomenological method allows things to show themselves. It reveals the hidden goals between man and the gods and the goals of things in mystical form. It reveals the structure, essence and the analysis of consciousness. Hermeneutics has also to do with the process of interpretation of phenomena. It is the science of interpretation. Phenomenology and hermeneutics reflects on the theoretical framework of this research. Having examined the contextual justification and theoretical framework of Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action in his political philosophy and the rationalization of society as the basis of normative ideal social order and social change, the core findings of this research work reflects on the fact that communicative rationality can bring about an emancipated global society; it is fundamental to global order, social change and human solidarity. Communication is an integral part of democracy. Our Enlightenment democratic vision can engender social order and legitimate/normative presupposition. Habermas’ theory of communicative action and democratic society is the theory of social order; social order engenders social change or radical reformism. The Habermasian conception of language presupposes rational discourse. Rational dialogue can bring about global change in our international system; reasoned communication requires global interconnectedness or international interaction. However, Habermas’ ethical theory heralds his political theory; he believes that the whole idea of politics has been overburdened and that distorted communication has been the problem of our system-life-world. Habermas is of the view that fundamentalism is a dead end and a global problem. Finally, Habermas’ theory of communicative action is the revitalization or the re-Kantianization of Discourse Ethics. Habermas’ philosophy is left-Hegelianism. Communicative action is dialogue, rational practice; it reflects on the tenets of accountability, responsibility and emancipatory democratic ideals.