Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 10:50:55 -0500
Subject: Re: [HAB:] detranscendantalization


Hello Vic,

Thanks for the lead, but since I don't own the Bernstein volume, I 
scratched my head this morning and found something approaching what I 
need.

It's in the small interview that Habermas gave in "Habermas and 
Pragmatism" edited by Aboulafia and al.

Habbie: "Dick Bernstein, who in 1972 invited me to deliver a lecure at 
Haverford College, was the first 'real' pragmatist that I had met, and 
the one who ever since has kept pushing me in the direction of a more 
intense detranscendantalization of Kant". (p. 226)

It's not yet what I'm really looking for, i.e. the _origin_ of the 
term. But it's good enough for a footnote reminder in my thesis - 
almost finished btw.

I remember giving an introductory course on Rawls, and the students 
would keep asking me questions about what the term meant. It triggered 
a discussion on theory and practice that was really cool. I came back 
on this the next year in a course on ethics with Habermas' critic of 
Kant in "Justification and Application". It was an open course, with 
only a few philosophers in the class, so in order to keep everyone's 
attention, I discussed a letter that Kant wrote to a poor woman that 
suffered a broken relationship ("Letter to Maria" I think). The letter 
showed clearly that the direct application of the categorical 
imperative is disastrous, and in the context of love counselling the 
students were really digging it. It was then easy to bring Habermas' 
critic in focus.

Anyways, best,
Martin





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