Ethics of discourse in Jürgen Habermas: the importance of language for communicative action

Abstract

This work highlights some points about discourse ethics in Habermas' thought, namely, the contribution of language in discourse, and the way consensus can be a mechanism for dialogue in a multicultural space from the standpoint of pragmatics, keeping in view a universalization based on communicative action. More than an analysis and demonstration, it is a question of verifying the relevance of language in order to reach a consensus among the participants of a given community. Thus, in the communicative action theory proposed by Habermas, language contributes to the consensus developed among interlocutors.