Date: Sat, 7 Mar 1998 09:37:32 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: HAB: Understanding


Let me recap part of this thread and add my own response at the end: 

[KEN:] Habermas's particular vision of a more utopian world is
Kantian.  It is one in where contradictions do not exist (he really
does rely upon 'generalized other' - something that I really don't
want to become. 
 
[M.A. KING:] I really don't know why you attribute this view to
Habermas. As far as I understand him, differences are not
(necessarily) to be eliminated, but respected and understood.  Of
course, in any society, there are some differences which must be
overcome and will be overcome in any event--and the question is
whether to overcome them strategically or communicatively. 
 
[KEN:] You can think differently but you have to act according to
reason.  Understanding means agreement about something.  So moral
actions must be of one accord. 

[ME {Steve}:] Such "accord" occurs in the second moment of discourse
ethics, "M2", which occurs when the first moment, "M1" (which I
believe everyone is talking about above and which people erroneously
think is the whole of Habermas's discourse ethics) does not result
in agreement.  I will be happy to send anyone a copy of my
(forthcoming, God willing) article, "A Second Moment of Discourse
Ethics", which lays out M2 and justifies these claims for it.

Best regards, buds,

Steve

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| Stephen Chilton, Associate Professor, Dept of Pol Science |
|    Univ of Minnesota-Duluth / Duluth, MN 55812-2496 / USA |
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