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.
