ABSTRACT
For much of the twentieth century, pragmatism was perceived in Europe as a crude expression of Anglo-Saxon utilitarianism. From the sociological perspective, the pragmatism's central contribution is to an "action-theoretic" framework. Symbolic interactionists have explored at length the linguistically mediated interactions in which human identities are formed, and thereby expanded our understanding of the communicative foundations of lifeworlds. What attracted Frankfurt School theorists to M. Weber was his dower view of reason as an agency whose power to control the world subverts human longing for meaningful existence. This ironic capacity to render the world manageable and meaningless at the same time has been a central theme in emancipatory scholarship from the start. The communicative sphere must be freed from distortions, and that means taking seriously our assertions about facts, becoming reflexive about normative bonds we forge through our performative actions, making a personal commitment to be sincere.
