JOURNAL ARTICLE

Kant's Anthropological Pragmatism and the Anthropological Foundations of Jürgen Habermas's Theory of Deliberative Democracy.

  • Published In: Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 2025, v. 55, n. 4. P. 348 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Salikov, Alexey 3 of 3

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between Immanuel Kant's pragmatic anthropology and Jürgen Habermas's theory of deliberative democracy, focusing on their shared anthropological foundations concerning human rationality and social nature. It argues that while Habermas's concept of communicative rationality and deliberative democracy closely parallels Kant's model of pragmatic rationality, this influence is indirect rather than a direct borrowing from Kant's anthropological writings. The paper highlights that both thinkers view humans as rational and social beings whose optimal behavior involves interaction aimed at societal progress, with Habermas's theory further shaped by American pragmatism. Ultimately, the similarities in their political theories stem from common Enlightenment ideas about human nature and rationality, rather than explicit textual influence.

Additional Information

  • Source:Philosophy of the Social Sciences. 2025/07, Vol. 55, Issue 4, p348
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0048-3931
  • DOI:10.1177/00483931251327333
  • Accession Number:185307302
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Philosophy of the Social Sciences is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.