Juergen Habermas

Best Known For:    A philosopher in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism.His theory on the concepts of â€Å"communicative rationality† and the â€Å"public sphere.†His work on the concept of modernity.    Birth: Jà ¼rgen Habermas was born June 18, 1929. He is still living. Early Life: Habermas was born in Dusseldorf, Germany and grew up in the postwar era. He was in his early teens during World War II and was profoundly affected by the war. He had served in the Hitler Youth and had been sent to defend the western front during the final months of the war. Following the Nuremberg Trials, Habermas had a political awakening in which he realized the depth of Germany’s moral and political failure. This realization had a lasting impact on his philosophy in which he was strongly against such politically criminal behavior. Education: Habermas studied at the University of Gottingen and the University of Bonn. He earned a doctorate degree in philosophy from the University of Bonn in 1954 with a dissertation written on the conflict between the absolute and history in Schelling’s thought. He then went on to study philosophy and sociology at the Institute for Social Research under critical theorists Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno and is consider a member of the Frankfurt School. Early Career: In 1961, Habermas became a private lecturer in Marburg. The following year he accepted the position of â€Å"extraordinary professor† of philosophy at the University of Heidelberg. That same year, Habermas gained serious public attention in Germany for his first book Structural Transformation and the Public Sphere in which he detailed the social history of the development of the bourgeois public sphere. His political interests subsequently led him to conduct a series of philosophical studies and critical-social analyses that eventually appeared in his books Toward a Rational Society (1970) and Theory and Practice (1973). Career and Retirement: In 1964, Habermas became the chair of philosophy and sociology at the University of Frankfurt am Main. He remained there until 1971 in which he accepted a directorship at the Max Planck Institute in Starnberg. In 1983, Habermas returned to the University of Frankfurt and remained there until he retired in 1994. Throughout his career, Habermas embraced the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, which views contemporary Western society as maintaining a problematic conception of rationality that is destructive in its impulse toward domination. His primary contribution to philosophy, however, is the development of a theory of rationality, a common element seen throughout his work. Habermas believes that the ability to use logic and analysis, or rationality, goes beyond the strategic calculation of how to achieve a certain goal. He stresses the importance of having an â€Å"ideal speech situation† in which people are able to raise moral and political concerns and defend them by rationality alone. This concept of the ideal speech situation was discussed and elaborated on in his 1981 book The Theory of Communicative Action. Habermas has gained a great deal of respect as a teacher and mentor for many theorists in political sociology, social theory, and social philosophy. Since his retirement from teaching he has continued to be an active thinker and writer. He is currently ranked as one of the most influential philosophers in the world and is a prominent figure in Germany as a public intellectual, often commenting on controversial issue of the day in German newspapers. In 2007, Habermas was listed as the 7th most-cited author in the humanities by . Major Publications: Structural Transformation and the Public Sphere (1962)Theory and Practice (1963)Knowledge and Human Interests (1968)Towards a Rational Society (1970)Legitimation Crisis (1973)Communication and the Evolution of Society (1979) References Jurgen Habermas - Biography. (2010). The European Graduate School. http://www.egs.edu/library/juergen-habermas/biography/ Johnson, A. (1995). The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers.

Beauty Standards And Its Effects On Women Essay - 2158 Words

It s not a mystery that society s ideals of beauty have a drastic and frightening effect on women. Popular culture frequently tells society, what is supposed to recognize and accept as beauty, and even though beauty is a concept that differs on all cultures and modifies over time, society continues to set great importance on what beautiful means and the significance of achieving it; consequently, most women aspire to achieve beauty, occasionally without measuring the consequences on their emotional or physical being. Unrealistic beauty standards are causing tremendous damage to society, a growing crisis where popular culture conveys the message that external beauty is the most significant characteristic women can have. The approval of prototypes where women are presented as a beautiful object or the winner of a beauty contest by evaluating mostly their physical attractiveness creates a faulty society, causing numerous negative effects; however, some of the most apparent consequences young and adult women encounter by beauty standards, can manifest as body dissatisfaction, eating disorders that put women’s life in danger, professional disadvantage, and economic difficulty. At this point, it is already acknowledged that body dissatisfaction is one of the major psychological effects caused in women by the unachievable cultural standards of beauty. A massive total of women feel constantly insecure, inadequate and overweight. Body obsessive comparison origins from the permanentShow MoreRelatedEffects Of The White Standards Of Beauty On African American Women923 Words   |  4 PagesPatten did her research on different ethics standpoints. 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Hemmingway’s Lady Brett Ashley Free Essays

â€Å"A Woman’s Torn Asunder† The eighteenth century novelist Laurence Stern wrote, â€Å"no body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time. † Hemingway’s Lady Brett Ashley, a divorced socialite, experienced conflicting desires, prompting her to lead an unhappy and confused life. Brett desired to be a self-reliant woman who had complete control over her own life but others were required to meet her physical and emotional needs. We will write a custom essay sample on Hemmingway’s Lady Brett Ashley or any similar topic only for you Order Now Throughout the entire novel, Brett Ashley pushes people away when they get too close in order to insure her freedom and power. This conflict alone illuminates Hemingway’s idea that no one can be entirely independent, occasionally people have to let themselves become vulnerable and let others in. The two painful marriages Brett had already experienced force her in the controlling and independent mindset depicted in the novel; one spouse treated her terribly and the other died tragically. Lord Ashley, which Brett was in the process of divorcing in the story, treated her horribly. After the war he became crazy, slept with a gun underneath his pillow and threatened to kill her. Her other husband died dreadfully and painfully from dysentery, scaring her forever. Brett realized in order to never feel the pain and inferiority again she would never be able to depend on another man, nor could she get close enough to let him hurt her! But still, the want for love, physical satisfaction, and emotional fulfillment still lingered in her mind, creating her clashing outlook. Moving on from her prior marriages, Brett Ashley meets Jake Barnes, the protagonist in The Sun Also Rises. Although Brett loves Jake (as much as she could love anybody), she clearly manipulates him and uses him throughout the story. She plays upon his deep, obvious feelings for her to gain sympathy, unconditional love, and emotional support while still keeping complete control over their relationship. With Jake, she is emotionally fulfilled and still feels independent because she knows she can be with someone else whenever she wants. But still, whenever she starts to feel stronger feelings or Jake, she separates herself and has sex with someone else. For example, when Jake confesses his love for her she dismisses him, and exclaims that he should hook her up with another man, Pedro Romero the beautiful bullfighter. She refuses to let herself recognize the true emotions she feels for Jake since that would make her defenseless. She also denies Jake because of his casualty of the war; Ja ke was left impotent. Because of this, Jake and Brett cannot be â€Å"lovers,† and all attempts at a sexually fulfilling relationship are futile. Brett is a passionate, lustful woman who is driven by physical pleasures, something that Jake cannot provide her with. She indulges in her passion for sex and control but still seeks true love, with emotional and physical fulfillment. Unconditional love involves putting another being’s needs before your own, and not always having control. Brett cannot fulfill her dreams of true love because of her equal need for control and independence. Again, proving Hemingway’s thought that no one can be completely self-sufficient and still fulfilled (physically and emotionally). How to cite Hemmingway’s Lady Brett Ashley, Essay examples