Habermas: Rescuing the Public Sphere (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought)

If we are to believe what many sociologists are telling us, the public sphere is in a near terminal state. Our ability to build solidarities with strangers and to agree on the general significance of needs and problems seems to be collapsing. These cultural potentials appear endangered by a newly aggressive attempt to universalize and extend the norms of the market. For four decades Habermas has been trying to bring the claims of a modern public sphere before us. His vast oeuvre has investigated its historical, sociological and theoretical preconditions, has explored its relevance and meaning as well as diagnosing its on-going crises. In the contemporary climate, a systematic look at Habermas’ lifelong project of rescuing the modern public sphere seems an urgent task. This study reconstructs major developments in Habermas’ thinking about the public sphere, and is a contribution to the current vigorous debate over its plight. It marshals the significance of Habermas’ lifetime of work on this topic to illuminate what is at stake in a contemporary interest in rescuing an embattled modern public sphere. Habermas’ project of rescuing the neglected potentials of Enlightenment legacies has been deeply controversial. For many, it is too lacking in radical commitments to warrant its claim to a contemporary place within a critical theory tradition. Against this developing consensus, Pauline Johnson describes Habermas’ project as one that is still informed by utopian energies, even though his own construction of emancipatory hopes itself proves to be too narrow and one-sided. This Study Explores The Major Episodes In Habermas' Thinking About The Public Sphere. From The Outset, He Has Maintained That The Complex Ambiguity Of The Enlightenment, Its Cultural Achievements And Potentials Have Been Poorly Understood. Whereas His First Major Work Tried To Retrieve This Ambiguity By Excavating The Neglected Public-democratic Core Of Enlightenment Liberalism, His Later Writings Attempted To Provide This Cultural Potential With A More Secure Anthropological Basis In The Pragmatics Of Communication. Habermas' Project Of Re-animating The Significance Of The Public Sphere And Rescuing The Neglected Potentials Of Enlightenment Legacies Has Been Deeply Controversial. For Many, It Is Too Lacking In Radical Commitments To Warrant Its Claim To A Contemporary Place Within A Critical Theory Tradition. Against This Charge, Pauline Johnson Defends Habermas' Utopian Credentials While Simultaneously Arguing That His Own Construction Of Contemporary Emancipatory Hopes Is Too Narrow And One-sided.--jacket. Introduction : The Plight Of The Public Sphere -- The Structural Transformation Of The Public Sphere -- The Theory Of Communicative Action -- Discourse Ethics And The Normative Justification Of Tolerance -- A Discourse Theory Of Law And Democracy -- Globalizing The Public Sphere -- The Utopian Energies Of A Radical Reformist -- Romantic And Enlightenment Legacies : The Post-modern Critics -- Distorted Communications : Habermas And Feminism -- Conclusion. Pauline Johnson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [198]-205) And Index. "This study explores the major episodes in Habermas' thinking about the public sphere. From the outset, he has maintained that the complex ambiguity of the Enlightenment, its cultural achievements and potentials have been poorly understood. Whereas his first major work tried to retrieve this ambiguity by excavating the neglected public-democratic core of Enlightenment liberalism, his later writings attempted to provide this cultural potential with a more secure anthropological basis in the pragmatics of communication." "Habermas' project of re-animating the significance of the public sphere and rescuing the neglected potentials of Enlightenment legacies has been deeply controversial. For many, it is too lacking in radical commitments to warrant its claim to a contemporary place within a critical theory tradition. Against this charge, Pauline Johnson defends Habermas' utopian credentials while simultaneously arguing that his own construction of contemporary emancipatory hopes is too narrow and one-sided."--Résumé de l'éditeur Book Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Dedication......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Acknowledgements......Page 12 1. Introduction: The Plight of the Public Sphere......Page 14 2. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere......Page 31 3. The Theory of Communicative Action......Page 51 4. Discourse Ethics and The Normative Justification of Tolerance......Page 76 5. A Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy......Page 91 6. Globalizing the Public Sphere......Page 113 7. The Utopian Energies of a Radical Reformist......Page 130 8. Romantic and Enlightenment Legacies: The Postmodern Critics......Page 147 9. Distorted Communications: Habermas and Feminism......Page 165 10. Conclusion......Page 179 Notes......Page 189 Bibliography......Page 211 Index......Page 219 Reconstructs developments in Habermas' thinking about the public sphere. This book marshals the significance of Habermas' lifetime of work on this topic to illuminate what is at stake in a contemporary interest in rescuing an embattled modern public sphere. It describes Habermas' project as one that is still informed by utopian energies This study reconstructs major developments in Habermas' thinking about the public sphere. It marshals the significance of his life's work to illuminate what is at stake in rescuing an embattled modern public sphere.