Jürgen Habermas 
Theory and Practice 

Theory and Practice is one of Habermas’s major works and is
widely recognized as a classic in contemporary and social and
political theory.

Through a series of highly original historical studies, Habermas
re-examines the relations between philosophy, science and politics.
Beginning with the classical doctrine of politics as developed by
Aristotle, he traces the changing constellation of theory and
practice through the work of Machiavelli, More, Hobbes, Hegel and
Marx. He argues that, with the development of the modern sciences,
politics has become increasingly regarded as a technical discipline
concerned with problems of prediction and control. Politics has
thus lost its link with the practical cultivation of character,
that is, with the praxis of enlightened citizens.

Theory and Practices includes a major re-assessment of
Marx’s work and of the status of Marxism as a form of critique. In
an important concluding chapter Habermas examines the role of
reason and the prospects for critical theory in our modern
scientific civilization.

Table of Content

Translator’s Note.

Introduction: Some Difficulties in the Attempt to Link Theory
and Praxis.

1. The Classical Doctrine of Politics in Relation to Social
Philosophy.

2. Natural Law and Revolution.

3. Hegel’s Critique of the French Revolution.

4. Labour and Interaction: Remarks on Hegel’s Jena Philosophy
of Mind. .

5. On Hegel’s Political Writings.

6. Between Philosophy and Science: Marxism as Critique.

7. Dogmatism, Reason, and Decision: On Theory and Praxis in our
Scientific Civilization.

Notes.

Index.

About the author

Jürgen Habermas is a German philosopher and sociologist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. He is perhaps best known for his theories on communicative rationality and the public sphere. In 2014, Prospect readers chose Habermas as one of their favourites among the ‘world’s leading thinkers’.