Lessnoff's Reason for Interpretation

From Introduction

Habermas' Comparison of His Approach to That of Kant and Rawls

Add Kant and Rawls to concept index for those who haven't encountered them formally. Include that Rawls considers himself a Kantian. And add on the Shoulders of Giants so they know what that means. Add links here.

Jeanne's understanding: Habermas regards the consensus of public discourse as essential to communicative action. That means that it is the argumentation and the exchange of arguments leading to consensus that matters to him. He calls this dialogic consensus. Habermas objects to Rawls' and Kant's positions as "monologic." That means that in their systems of justice an individual can, in principle, decide a moral issue or himself/herself. That seems to me to mean that this is one of the places where Habermas sees the tension between individual and community, and classifies the situation as one in which community is necessary to this moral decision.

Add monologic, dialogic, and discursive to concept index with links back to here.

Habermas' Definition of Communicative Action

Lessnoff, p. 272.

Habermas' Charge Against Positivism

Lessnoff, p. 273.