Jurgen Habermas

Public sphere, communicative action

Contemporary influential 102 sayings

Sayings by Jurgen Habermas

The project of Enlightenment is not to be abandoned, but to be completed.

1980 — Modernity – An Unfinished Project (lecture)
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The moral point of view is inherent in the structure of communicative action.

1983 — Moral Consciousness and Communicative Action
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The European project is a risky experiment, but a necessary one.

2012 — The Crisis of the European Union
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The colonization of the lifeworld by system imperatives could be described as a communicative pathology.

1981 — From 'The Theory of Communicative Action'
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Postmodernism is essentially a self-consuming artifact.

1983 — Lecture at Northwestern University
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The utopian content of modernity has been exhausted.

1985 — Interview with Die Zeit
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

We cannot choose whether we want to communicate or not; we are always already communicating.

1981 — The Theory of Communicative Action, Vol. 1
Controversial Unverifiable

The public sphere is an arena for rational-critical debate.

1962 — The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
Controversial Unverifiable

Communicative action is aimed at reaching understanding.

1981 — The Theory of Communicative Action, Vol. 1
Controversial Unverifiable

Science and technology are not value-neutral; they are always already embedded in lifeworld contexts.

1970 — Toward a Rational Society
Controversial Unverifiable

The colonization of the lifeworld by the system is a threat to modern society.

1987 — The Theory of Communicative Action, Vol. 2
Controversial Unverifiable

Discourse ethics is a universalistic ethic based on communicative reason.

1983 — Moral Consciousness and Communicative Action
Controversial Unverifiable

The public sphere has been re-feudalized.

1962 — The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
Controversial Unverifiable

Truth is a regulative idea, not a property of propositions.

1999 — Truth and Justification
Controversial Unverifiable

Legitimation crisis is a crisis of meaning and identity in modern societies.

1973 — Legitimation Crisis
Controversial Unverifiable

Post-metaphysical thinking requires a move from the philosophy of consciousness to the philosophy of language.

1988 — Postmetaphysical Thinking
Controversial Unverifiable

The public use of reason is essential for democracy.

1962 — The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
Controversial Unverifiable

The system colonizes the lifeworld by monetary and bureaucratic imperatives.

1987 — The Theory of Communicative Action, Vol. 2
Controversial Unverifiable

Deliberative democracy is based on the idea of public deliberation and consensus formation.

1992 — Between Facts and Norms
Controversial Unverifiable

Religion can play a positive role in the public sphere by providing moral resources.

2005 — Between Naturalism and Religion
Controversial Unverifiable