15173

WiSe 23/24: Grounds of social criticism: Jürgen Habermas and Axel Honneth

Pedro Teixeira

Comments

In this seminar we will survey and compare the intersubjective grounds of social criticism in the theories of Jürgen Habermas and Axel Honneth. Following Habermas's move from what he called a "philosophy of consciousness" to his theory of communicative action and discourse ethics, in which the ideal of uncoerced communication between free and equal persons takes centre stage, we will examine how Honneth's theory of intersubjective recognition departs from Habermas' focus on language and discourse and, instead, stresses the importance of affective attitudes and social conflicts rooted in historical struggles for the granting of equal rights and the recognition of marginalized groups. Although for both authors the foundations of social criticism must be based on a theory of intersubjectivity, their reliance on contrasting methodological premises lead them to place the burden of normative validity on different sources: in the case of Habermas, on cases of distorted or misdirected communication; and for Honneth, on experiences of humiliation and disrespect, as felt by individuals and social groups alike. This, in turn, means that each of their approaches is perhaps better suited to account for certain kinds of social phenomena, from social protest to other manifestations of indignation. In the second part of the seminar we will therefore also look into some contemporary social and political issues from each of their points of view. In the third part of the seminar we will discuss how these differences between them branch into their respective social and political theories, namely into their reinterprations (and substantive proposals) of the meaning of justice, the functioning of legal sphere, deliberative democracy and of the state. close

16 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Wed, 12:00 - 14:00 16 Class schedule

Wed, 2023-10-18 12:00 - 14:00

Lecturers:
Dr. Pedro Teixeira