The Habermas-Gadamer debate and the nature of the social : back to Bedrock

This monograph examines the philosophical debate between Habermas and Gadamer on the nature of the social. It places the debate in its context, outlining the origins of the debate and the disputed territory of truth and method. In the second section of the book, the debate itself is outlined: Popper and Adorno and the concept of totality; Habemas' first critique on the virtues and vices of hermeneutics; Gadamer's first reply on the real scope of hermeneutics and that language is more than it seems; Habermas' second critique that method reaches the parts that hermeneutics can't; and Gadamer's second reply on the dangers of ideal speech, and the importance of modesty. The book's third section discusses and evaluates the debate.