Habermas and Contemporary Society

Zusatztext '... the book provides a very valuable introduction to the central themes of Habermas's very large and complex corpus of thought on contemporary society.' - David S. Owen! Colloquia Germanica Informationen zum Autor John F. Sitton, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA Klappentext Over the last four decades Jürgen Habermas has forged an innovative and much-discussed theory of contemporary capitalist society. Building on Max Weber's thesis that the dynamic of capitalism actually erodes individual freedom and the meaningfulness of social life - famously resulting in a culture of 'specialists without spirit! sensualists without heart' - Habermas traces contemporary social conflict to resistance to this dynamic by a variety of social groups. His theory of 'communicative action' attempts to show the possibilities in contemporary society for moving toward a more balanced social life that! unlike other political currents today! would not sacrifice the truly progressive features of complex modern societies. By marginalizing methodological and other more specialized theoretical concerns! this book focuses on Habermas's substantive portrayal of contemporary society and its discontents. Zusammenfassung Building on Max Weber's thesis that the dynamic of capitalism actually erodes individual freedom and the meaningfulness of social life - famously resulting in a culture of 'specialists without spirit, sensualists without heart' - Habermas traces contemporary social conflict to resistance to this dynamic by a variety of social groups. Inhaltsverzeichnis Acknowledgements Preface One: Weber and Modernity Two: Rationality and Communicative Action Three: Society as Lifeworld and System Four: Social Conflict and Progressive Politics Five: The Limitations of Habermas's Social and Political Argument Works Cited

Product details

• Authors: J Sitton, J. Sitton, John F. Sitton
• Publisher: Palgrave UK
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 04.11.2003
• EAN: 9781403961938
• ISBN: 978-1-4039-6193-8
• No. of pages: 197
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; B, Political Science, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Politics & government, Social & political philosophy, History of Philosophy, Social Philosophy, History of philosophy, philosophical traditions, Social sciences—Philosophy, Palgrave Religion & Philosophy Collection, Politics and International Studies, Political Science and International Relations, general, conflict;Jürgen Habermas;liberty