Jürgen Habermas' dialogical ethics (Paradox of an idea of rationality)

Abstract

The article is divided in three parts. The first of them exposes Habermas' ethicaldialogical theory as an attempt for a universal foundation of moral: The proposal of the German philosopher is contextualized within the Kantian moral tradition of the categorical imperative. The second parte present the main critiques that Albercht Wellmer offers in his book Ethics and Dialogue against the model of dialogical foundation of ethics developed by Habermas. Finally in the third part, the author, guided by Wellmer's "immanent critique", develops his"external critique" against Habermas's purpose to found moral on a "communicative rationality". In his opinion, Habermas' limitations which conduct to real paradoxes have their origin in the type of Kantianilustrated rationality that sustains his theory.