New publication: Habermas before the 21st century. The projection of the theory of communicative action. By César Ortega Esquembre

The question of the normative foundation of critique, that is, the type of criteria or standards that underlie the diagnosis of societal pathologies, is one of the most fascinating topics of study in contemporary practical philosophy.

One of the traditions of thought that has managed to bring together most brilliantly the various strands of practical philosophy - basically, social, political, moral and legal philosophy - has been the Critical Theory of Society of the Frankfurt School. Although, within this tradition, the problem of normative criteria has always been present, the truth is that it has only been since the emergence of Jürgen Habermas, who is not only the main representative of its second generation, but probably also the most influential philosopher and societal theorist of the last half century, that this issue has been addressed in a radical and systematic way.

The aim of this book is to offer an exhaustive study of the relationship between critique and normativity in Habermas' thought. With such a study, which can only be undertaken on the basis of a reconstruction of the previous stages of Critical Theory, the aim is not only to show the internal coherence of Habermas' thought and his sometimes disputed commitment to Critical Theory, but also to analyze the projection of the theory of communicative action among some of the most promising contemporary proposals in social, political and moral philosophy.

You can purchase the book to the publisher's website.