Between Reason and History: Habermas and the Idea of Progress

233 Pages·2002·1.526 MB·English

by  Owen, David S

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BETWEEN REASON
AND HISTORY
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SUNY series in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Lenore Langsdorf,editor
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BETWEEN REASON
AND HISTORY
HABERMAS AND
THE IDEA OF PROGRESS
(cid:1)
David S. Owen
State University of New York Press
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Published by
State University of New York Press,Albany
© 2002 State University of New York Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Owen,David S.
Between reason and history : Habermas and the idea of progress / David S.Owen.
p.cm.— (SUNY series in the philosophy of the social sciences)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7914-5409-6 (alk.paper) — ISBN 0-7914-5410-X (pbk.:alk.paper)
1. Progress—Philosophy. 2. Habermas,Jürgen. I. Title. II. Series.
HM891 .O94 2002
303.44'01—dc21 2001049779
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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For Diane
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Contents
(cid:1)
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1. The Idea of Progress and Critical Social Theory 7
Critical Social Theory 7
Critical Hermeneutics 24
Summary 29
2. Habermas’s Conception of Critical Social Theory 31
Formal Pragmatics 33
Communicative Action 35
Sociocultural Lifeworld 44
Communicative Rationality 47
The Developmental Theory of Social Evolution 51
Habermas’s Reconstruction of Historical Materialism 52
Overview of the Mature Theory 62
The Theory of Modernity 65
Summary 71
3. The Developmental Theory of Social Evolution 73
General Considerations 73
Conceptual and Theoretical Distinctions 74
Epistemological Assumptions 79
Principal Elements 82
The Dimensions of Development 82
Rationalization 87
vii
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viii(cid:1) Contents
The Dynamic between Interaction and Labor 90
Developmental Logic and Empirical Mechanisms 95
Social Evolution as a Learning Process 102
4. The Idea of a Developmental Logic of History 105
The Concept of Developmental Logic 107
The Psychological-Theoretic Conception 107
Formal Properties 111
The Social-Theoretic Conception 122
The Developmental Logic Thesis 130
The Homological Arguments 131
The Formal-Pragmatic Argument 157
Further Questions 164
5. Progress and Social Evolution 173
Habermas’s Conception of Progress 174
The Dialectic of Progress 179
A Differentiated Conception of Progress 183
Summary and Conclusions 186
Notes 189
Bibliography 207
Index 213
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Acknowledgments
(cid:1)
When I began my graduate study in philosophy my interests generally concerned
issues of social justice.I worried,however,that critiques of “grand narratives”and of
the reification of human nature undermined the possibility of grounding the nor-
mative stance of any critique aiming at social justice.In one of my first seminars I
encountered the work of Jürgen Habermas,which immediately resonated with me.
I found in his work a carefully nuanced attempt to provide a grounding for social
critique,without collapsing into either foundationalism or relativism.That seminar
was taught by Sandra Bartky,and since that time she has provided invaluable guid-
ance,encouragement,and criticism for both my career and this project.There is no
doubt that without her regular encouragement I would not have completed this
project.I also want to thank David Ingram for his helpful suggestions throughout
the entire manuscript,and for proving to be an important resource,guiding me
through the labyrinth of Habermas’s work.Others who have read the manuscript
and provided valuable feedback include Jürgen Habermas,Richard Kraut,Charles
Mills,and Leo Shelbert.I would also like to express my appreciation to Thomas
McCarthy,who graciously took the time to discuss this project with me and con-
firming for me its importance during the early stages.
Throughout the writing of this study I have had many discussions and con-
versations with colleagues and peers that have helped me to clarify and
strengthen my arguments.I especially want to thank Paola Kindred,Christopher
Zurn, Vic Peterson, and Amy Allen for their immensely helpful insights and
comments. And I would like to thank the participants of the Critical Theory
Roundtable,who over the years have provided a crucial intellectual community to
discuss these ideas with.
There are two people without whom I would not have been able to write this
book.Beth Wagner,my mother,both encouraged and supported my studies so
that I could arrive at a place where this book could even be a possibility. And
Diane Marschang,who has been at my side from the very beginning of this proj-
ect,offering encouragement and support throughout its writing,and who deserves
much of the credit for its completion.
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