Habermas: Introduction and Analysis

Habermas: Introduction and Analysis

by David Ingram (Contributor)

Synopsis

The work of Jurgen Habermas (b. 1929) has been highly influential both in philosophy and across many disciplines in the social sciences. David Ingram here provides an introduction to Habermas's complex thought as it has evolved from 1953 to the present, spanning philosophy, religion, political science, social science, and law. One of today's most intriguing thinkers, Habermas is also notably prolific; for students and other readers who wish to navigate the philosopher's more than thirty books, the lucid and precise Habermas: Introduction and Analysis is a welcome starting point rich in insights.

Ingram's book addresses the entire range of Habermas's social theory, including his most recent and widely discussed contributions to religion, freedom and determinism, global democracy, and the consolidation of the European Union. Recognizing Habermas's position as a highly public intellectual, Ingram discusses how Habermas applies his own theory to pressing problems such as abortion, terrorism, genetic engineering, immigration, multiculturalism, separation of religion and state, technology and mass media, feminism, and human rights. He also presents a detailed critical analysis of Habermas's key claims and arguments.

Separate appendixes introduce and clarify such important concepts as causal, teleological, and narrative paradigms of explanation in action theory; contextualism versus rationalism in social scientific methods of interpretation; systems theory and functionalist explanation in social science; and decision and collective choice theory.

$62.29

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 01 Oct 2010

ISBN 10: 0801476011
ISBN 13: 9780801476013

Media Reviews

David Ingram has provided us with what is unquestionably the most comprehensive introduction to one of the most demanding systems of thought, without sacrificing critical distance. . . . The book not only explains Habermas but places him on the map of modern philosophy. The book is a versatile toolbox, which will make it a must for anyone aiming to teach Habermas or the transformations of Critical Theory in the last decades. Above all, however, it is also a substantive contribution to the tradition to which Habermas belongs, for it is a critique of reason by way of an immanent critique of communicative rationality itself. -Eduardo Mendieta, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, February 2011


This is a marvelous resource for anyone interested in better understanding the difficult and voluminous work of Jurgen Habermas. It is clearly written, comprehensive, and fair-minded in its exegesis; moreover, it provides at the same time a highly intelligent, critical analysis of central themes in central themes in the writings of Habermas. -Stephen K. White, James Hart Professor of Politics, University of Virginia
This is a marvelously comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of Habermas's intellectual contribution to contemporary philosophy. -Simone Chambers, University of Toronto