Synopses & Reviews
These critical essays on Jürgen Habermas's major contribution to sociological theory, The Theory of Communicative Action, provide an indispensable guide for anyone trying to grasp that large, difficult, and important work.
The editors' introduction traces the history of the reception of the work and identifies the main themes on which discussion has focused: a concept of communicative rationality; a theory of action based on distinguishing communicative from instrumental reason; a two-level concept of society that integrates lifeworld and system paradigms; and a critical theory of modernity meant to diagnose the sociopathologies of contemporary society.
Contributors: Jeffrey Alexander. Johann P. Arnason. Johannes Berger. Günter Dux. Jürgen Habermas. Hans Joas. Hans-Peter Krüger. Thomas McCarthy. Herbert Schnädelbach. Martin Seel. Charles Taylor.
Review
"Habermas's monumental Theory of Communicative Action, considered by many the summa of his remarkable career, engendered an intense international debate. Many of the most trenchant contributions have been judiciously assembled by Axel Honneth and Hans Joas for this volume, which concludes with yet another of Habermas's vigorous and thoughtful replies to his critics. The result is a book that is not merely about communicative action, but also its very embodiment."
—Martin Jay, University of California
Review
"Habermas's monumental Theory of Communicative Action, considered by many the summa of his remarkable career, engendered an intense international debate. Many of the most trenchant contributions have been judiciously assembled by Axel Honneth and Hans Joas for this volume, which concludes with yet another of Habermas's vigorous and thoughtful replies to his, critics. The result is a book that is not merely about communicative action, but also its very embodiment."
—Martin Jay, University of California
Synopsis
These critical essays on Jürgen Habermas's major contribution to sociological theory, The Theory of Communicative Action, provide an indispensable guide for anyone trying to grasp that large, difficult, and important work.
Synopsis
Contributors: Jeffrey Alexander. Johann P. Arnason. Johannes Berger. G?nter Dux. J?rgen Habermas. Hans Joas. Hans-Peter Kr?ger. Thomas McCarthy. Herbert Schn?delbach. Martin Seel. Charles Taylor.
Synopsis
These critical essays on Jurgen Habermas's major contribution to sociological theory,
About the Author
Axel Honneth is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Konstanz.Hans Joas is Professor of Sociology at the Free University, Berlin.