The most important intellectual in the Federal Republic of Germany for the past three decades, Habermas has been a seminal contributor to fields ranging from sociology and political science to philosophy and cultural studies. Although he has stood at the centre of concern in his native land, he has been less readily accepted outside Germany, particularly in the humanities. His theoretical work postulates the centrality of communication and understanding, and as such his strategy of debate is marked by a politically informed unity of theory and practice. Holub's book is the first detailed account of the major debates in which Habermas has engaged since the early sixties. It stems from the conviction that his critics have not understood the political strategy behind his various interventions, or the consistency that informs his intellectual activities. Habermas is viewed in dialogue with important philosophical, sociological and political currents in West Germany. Holub demonstrates how Habermas pursues a course that incorporates various aspects of his opponents' positions, while simultaneously defending perceived threats to democracy and open discussion.

A rare systematic thinker, Habermas has furthered our understanding of modernity, social interaction and linguistic practice, societal institutions, rationality, morality, the law, globalization, and the role of religion in multicultural societies. He has helped shape discussions of truth, objectivity, normativity, and the relationship between the human and the natural sciences. This volume provides an accessible and comprehensive conceptual map of Habermas' theoretical framework and its key concepts, including the theory of communicative action, discourse ethics, his social-political philosophy and their applications to contemporary issues. It will be an invaluable resource for both novice readers of Habermas and those interested in a more refined understanding of particular aspects of his work.

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Jürgen Habermas is widely regarded as one of the outstanding intellectuals of our time. This collection focuses on the theory of law which can be distilled from his vast compendium of work. At the same time the collection places this theory in the context of Habermas' overall contribution to the theory of society, political theory and social philosophy. Volume I on 'The Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy' identifies the theoretical foundations. Volume II focuses on the critical debate of Habermas' discourse theory of law and democracy, on the challenges posed by the postnational constellation (Europeanization and processes of globalization) and on particular strands within his work, such as genetic technology and religion. Each volume is prefaced by a comprehensive introduction by the editors.

This book argues that Jürgen Habermas’ critical theory can be productively developed by incorporating a wider understanding of fantasy and imagination as part of its conception of communicative rationality and communicative pathologies. Given that meaning is generated both linguistically and performatively, MacKendrick argues that desire and fantasy must be taken into consideration as constitutive aspects of intersubjective relations. His aim is to show that Habermasian social theory might plausibly renew its increasingly severed ties with the early critical theory of the Frankfurt School by taking account of these features of practice life, thus simultaneously rekindling the relevance of the nearly forgotten emancipatory intent in his earlier work and rejuvenating an emphasis on the contemporary critique of reason. This innovative new study will be of interest to those focusing on the early writings of Habermas, the writings of the Frankfurt School, and the relation between critical theory, hermeneutics, and psychoanalysis.

The European Union entered into an economic crisis in late 2009 that was sparked by bank bailouts and led to large, unsustainable, sovereign debt. The crisis was European in scale, but hit some countries in the Eurozone harder than others. Despite the plethora of writings devoted to the economic crisis in Europe, present understandings of how the political decisions would influence the integration project continue to remain vague. What does it actually mean to be European? Is Europe still a collection of peoples that rallied together during good times and then retreat to nationalism when challenges appear? Or has Europe adopted a common identity that would foster solidarity during hard times? This book provides its reader with a fresh perspective on the importance identity has on the functioning of the European Union as exemplified in Jürgen Habermas’ seminal text, ‘The Crisis of the European Union: A Response’. Rather than exploring the causes of the crisis, the contributors examine the current state of European identity to determine the likelihood of implementing Habermas’ suggestions. The contributor’s interdisciplinary approach is organized into four parts and examines the following key areas of concern: Habermas’ arguments, placing them into their historical context. To which degree do Europeans share the ideals Habermas describes as crucial to his program of reform. Influence of Habermas’ cosmopolitanism through religious and literary lenses. Impact of Habermas’ notions in the arenas of education, national economies, austerity, and human rights. Jürgen Habermas and the European Economic Crisis will be read by scholars in the fields of Political Theory and Philosophy, European Politics and Cultural Studies.

This book critically investigates Jurgen Habermas's attempt to develop communicative conception of human rationality. It explores Habermas's fundamental commitment to the practical import and ramifications of communicative rationality in the field of African political philosophy. Within this context, Habermas's ambitious project to reconcile law, justice, and democracy is wide-ranging. This work explores how it is, among other things, that deliberative institutions can become more democratic through, as Dewey put it, "improvements in the methods and conditions of debate, discussion and persuasion".

Buku ini mencukupkan diri pada teks pidato Habermas "Modernity: an Incomplete Project" yang disampaikannya di Frankfurt, di hadapan para warga kota, pada penerimaan Adorno Prize. Anehkah bila akhirnya saya tak akan menyatakan buku ini termasuk buku kunci abad ke-21 tentang Habermas dan modernitas bagi publik pembaca di Indonesia, tapi cukup hanya menyebut: sebuah bacaan renyah dan jitu (karena ditulis dengan sedikit tergesa-gesa) mengenai persoalan yang akbar, berat, dan gila? Sayangnya, saya juga tidak bisa menampik, sulit menolak bahwa buku ini, ikhtiar satu ini (meski tentu dengan kekurangannya) layak dihargai dan mendapat atensi serta empati yang dalam, perlu dibaca oleh mereka (kaum arif, para teolog, budayawan, kritikus sastra dan seni, teoritisi sosial, atau siapa pun) yang ingin memberi makna lebih pada modernitas kita, pada tindakan komunikatif yang tak lekas patah arang. Lalu, ada juga nama Nietzsche dan Heidegger yang menggugat warisan Eropa pencerahan dan menolak hiruk-pikuk modernitas, tapi pada saat yang bersamaan enggan mengajukan cara untuk menanggulangi secara kritis soal itu. Tak diragukan lagi, ambiguitas itulah yang menjadi sorotan utama yang ingin dilampaui karya ini. Modernitas dan postmodernitas, hanyalah nama dari problem yang lebih mendasar, isu permukaan bagi suatu urgensi yang lebih filosofis, yakni pertanyaan tentang kebenaran, subjek, dan universalitas.

Latest introduction in the Modern European Thinkers series, ideal for undergraduates.