Jürgen Habermas Libri

We live in a time of turbulent change when many of the frameworks that have characterized our societies over the last few centuries - such as the international order of sovereign nation-states - are being called into question.

In this new collection of recent essays, Habermas takes up and pursues the line of analysis begun in The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity. He begins by outlining the sources and central themes of twentieth–century philosophy, and the range of current debates. He then examines a number of key contributions to these debates, from the pragmatic philosophies of Mead, Perice and Rorty to the post–structuralism of Foucault. Like most contemporary thinkers, Habermas is critical of the Western metaphysical tradition and its exaggerated conception of reason. But he cautions against the temptation to relinquish this conception altogether. In opposition to the radical critics of Western philosophy, Habermas argues that postmetaphysical thinking can remain critical only if it preserves the idea of reason while stripping it of its metaphysical trappings. Habermas contributes to this task by developing further his distinctive approach to problems of meaning, rationality and subjectivity. This book will be of particular interest to students of philosophy, sociology and social and political theory, and it will be essential reading for anyone interested in the continuing development of Habermas′s project.

On the occasion of Habermas s 80th birthday, the German publisher Suhrkamp brought out five volumes of Habermas s papers that spanned the full range of his philosophical thought, from the theory of rationality to the critique of metaphysics.

Jurgen Habermas's program in formal pragmatics fulfills two main functions. First, it serves as the theoretical underpinning for his theory of communicative action, a crucial element in his theory of society. Second, it contributes to ongoing philosophical discussion of problems concerning meaning, truth, rationality, and action. By the "pragmatic" dimensions of language, Habermas means those pertaining specifically to the employment of sentences in utterances. He makes clear that "formal" is to be understood in a tolerant sense to refer to the rational reconstruction of general intuitions or competences. Formal pragmatics, then, aims at a systematic reconstruction of the intuitive linguistic knowledge of competent subjects as it is used in everyday communicative practices. His program may thus be distinguished from empirical pragmatics—for example, sociolinguistics—which looks primarily at particular situations of use. This anthology brings together for the first time, in revised or new translation, ten essays that present the main concerns of Habermas's program in formal pragmatics. Its aim is to convey a sense of the overall purpose of his linguistic investigations while introducing the reader to their specific details, in particular to his theories of meaning, truth, rationality, and action.

Jürgen Habermas is a prominent and influential European philosopher, known for over thirty years of significant contributions to various fields, including society, knowledge, history, and ethics. He is a key figure in Germany, often engaging in public debates and addressing the profound changes occurring in Germany, Europe, and globally. This collection of interviews showcases Habermas's deep involvement with contemporary issues, covering critical topics of the 1990s such as German unification, debates on German history, asylum policies, the Nazi era, and efforts toward a peaceful Europe, as well as the implications of the Persian Gulf War. A concluding interview explores the relationship between theory and practice, highlighting the connection between philosophy and real-world issues. In the afterword, Habermas discusses a range of challenges facing Germany and other nations as the century draws to a close. Translated and annotated by Max Pensky, a philosophy professor at the State University of New York-Binghamton, this volume offers a compelling portrait of an intellectual adept in both academic philosophy and public discourse, bridging the gap between the two realms.