The concept of liberty. Habermasian Theory of freedom. Communicative freedom

Abstract

This paper discusses a re-interpretation of the concept of liberty in the context of Jürgen Habermas' communicative theory. This study explores liberty, as a reflection of the liberal paradigm, since it no longer meets the needs of contemporary societies. Moreover, in the lens of republicanism, it does not account for ensuring the protection and autonomy of individual subjects. Furthermore, taking hold, therefore, of the hypothesis that the consolidation of a communicative understanding of freedom, as done by Habermas, is the only theory capable of protecting ethics, morals, justice and individual independence. In addition, this paper demonstrates the intersubjective character of our liberty whilst examining the element of the emancipation of individuals for communicative purposes. Hereby, a philosophical rescue of the concepts of liberty within historical duality has been usurped by liberals and republicans, from the views of Benjamin Constant, Isaiah Berlin and Philip Pettit. Finally, with the help of Flavio Siebeneichler, this study demonstrates that discursive rationality, unique of emancipatory potential, is the key element for Habermas' theory of communicative freedom. In relation to our methodology, this research utilizes literature review, since it investigates already published works in order to better understand the object of study.