Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action: a summary

“Jürgen Habermas argues that we should refocus our efforts to achieve liberation from oppression on our human ability to use languages rather than simply focusing on the injustice of economic exploitation. Human communications have evolved to give us broad systems of symbolic agreement in our languages and in the sets of symbols we call culture. These were evolved by humans to provide communications media that were to the evolutionary advantage of our species. The underlying social purpose of these symbol systems is to co-ordinate social action for human survival and flourishing. This evolved ability that humans have achieved for communications that enhance survival is inherent in all human languages and cultures. It is a source of wonder that human communities have been able to agree on the meanings of a very complex set of symbols in creating a language and culture.”

Excerpt From: “Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action: a summary by Dr Stefan Szczelkun"

A profoundly hopeful view of the inherent capacity for reaching agreement that part of human languages and a suggestion of the conditions that need setting up to enable rational discourse.