Date: Mon, 04 Mar 2002 21:20:08 -0800
Subject: Re: HAB: What's the use?



Tom,

I'm trying to grasp the main points and digest them well enough to let my 
students follow these discussions. For me, that's putting theory into 
practice because these young people are going to grow up to structure the 
public discourse we're talking about. I understand the need for experts to 
debate perspectives, and welcome to it, but I think in many ways it's more 
practical to begin to get lay people to understand, to think about, and to 
put into practice the discourse ethics I think we're talking about.

jeanne

At 09:07 PM 3/4/2002 -0800, you wrote:
>It's disturbing to me that many people on this list speak only in the
>universal/abstract and not about their particular applications of
>Habermas's theory. This abstract arguing sounds like the metaphysics
>battle for an 'ultimate interpretation' all over again.
>
>For instance, when Fwelfare complains of experience with cognitively
>inferior people refusing to justify their 'invalid norms' etc. I have
>to wonder what the specific context and content of this experience is.
>
>The idea that Habermas's theory constitutes someone's whole worldview
>(as a kind of personal metaphysics) sounds rather pale.
>
>My view is that his theory is a useful tool for easing differences
>between subjective worldviews and enlightening subjects to the
>possibilites of intersubjective harmonization. It's NOT meant for
>erasing all experientially subjective differences and replacing other's
>views with a new theory.
>
>I'd be curious to know how other's here are putting theory into
>practice..
>
>-Tom
>
>
>====>Tom McDonald  CONTACT INFO:
>WEBSITE:  http://www.ThomasMcDonald.com
>EMAIL:  mcdonald928-AT-yahoo.com
>INSTANT MESSENGER:  "omhats" on AOL & MSN, "mcdonald928" on Yahoo
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free email!
>http://mail.yahoo.com/
>
>
>      --- from list habermas-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---

HTML VERSION: