Jurgen Habermas

Habermas

Known for his work on communication, democracy, and the public sphere

Theory of Communicative Action (Habermas)

Outlines a macro-theory which explains how societies come to be, what happens admits increasing complexity, and subsequent implications for society

Lifeworld

Is the realm of everyday social interactions and shared understanding

Culture (Lifeworld)

Shared knowledge and symbols that provide meaning

Society (Lifeworld)

Institutional orders and norms that regulate social interactions

Personality (Lifeworld)

Individuals identities shaped through socialization and interaction

Social Beginnings

Argues that the earliest social formations are steered by communication

Communicative Action

Type of social interaction in which participants aim to reach mutual understanding and coordinate their actions based on shared norms and values

Strategic Action

Aimed at achieving personal goals rather than mutual agreement or understanding

Communicative Rationality

Assumes that rational consensus can be reached through dialogue

Validity Claims

Habermas argues that all communicative acts involve implicit _______ that participants can question or defend

Ideal Speech Situation

Is a theoretical construct where communication is free from domination, and all participants have equal opportunities to speak and be heard

Systems

Refers to the structured, formal aspects of society, such as the economy and state institutions

Expert Systems

Specialized institutions or bodies of knowledge that operate independently of everyday social interactions

Steering Medium

Allows expert systems to coordinate social action without the need for communicative consensus, ad without individuals having the opportunity or ability to test validity claims

Decoupling

As expert systems become more specialized and autonomous, they increasingly decouple from the lifeworld

Alienation

People feel disconnected from decision-making processes that affect their lives, leading to a sense of powerlessness and disempowerment

Legitimation Crisis

When expert systems impose decisions without adequate communicative engagement with the public, it can lead to a crisis of legitimacy, where people question the authority and trustworthiness of those systems

Colonization

Expert systems which have decoupled from the lifeworld may them return as a dominant, colonizing force

Critiques of Habermas

Too complex to apply practically, his ideas are too idealistic not accounting for power dynamics and inequalities in real-world communication