ABSTRACT
Our dialogical planning approach is a pragmatic synthesis of valuable insights from contemporary philosophy and planning theory. From political philosopher John Rawls, we have incorporated wide reflective equilibrium, the difference principle, and the concept of reasonableness; from philosophers Donald Davidson and Richard Rorty, the fluid nature of language and concepts; from critical social theorist Jürgen Habermas, critiques of scientism, the concept of communicative and critical rationality, and the importance of power. We also drew on, and were inspired by, the innovative interdisciplinary work of planning theorists John Forester, Charles Hoch, Judith Innes, Patsy Healey, John Friedmann, Leonie Sandercock, James Throgmorton, and (last but not least and never invisible) Seymour Mandelbaum. We have attempted to integrate many of their insights into our approach.
