ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book summarizes the main outlines of Habermas's theory, with special attention being paid to the connection between the theory of the public sphere and philosophical defence of the ideal speech situation. It looks at a central moment in The Theory of Communicative Action, namely, Habermas's account of the 'linguistifi-cation of the sacred', which rehearses and defends the project of giving moral theory a linguistic turn through a consideration of Durkheim's idea of the sacred origins of morality. It offers the opportunity of more adequately framing Habermas's project with respect to Hegel and Adorno, while beginning a more detailed evaluation of discourse ethics. When self-knowledge is the object of inquiry, the creative aspect of the endeavour involves not merely the creation of a new theoretical framework, but the realization of that framework in individual lives.
