Course Description
Jürgen Habermas (1929–2026) and Michel Foucault (1926–1894) are arguably two of the most important intellectuals of the 20th century, not just as social and political philosophers, but also more broadly in the social sciences and humanities. Both also were controversial, political engaged thinkers, who sparked important debates. While Foucault, due to his early death, was unable to respond to Habermas’ challenge to him (and French post-structuralism in general) in his 1983 lectures on The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity (first published in 1998 [1985]), the discussion between them was taken up by other theorists instead. In the ensuing so-called Foucault-Habermas debate, Habermas and the “Habermasians” argue for a critical theory based on a Kantian quasi-transcendental understanding of reason, a normatively charged concept of power and a commitment to a “modern” conception of social theory. This position stands in stark contrast to Foucault and the “Foucauldians”, who put forward critical theories based on a Nietzschean historicization and naturalization of reason, a normatively ambiguous re-conceptualization of power and a “postmodern” refusal to engage with general theories about “society” in favour of a fragmentary, interventionist understanding of the social.
In the seminar, we will revisit this tension between two importantly attempts to formulate a post-metaphysical philosophy capable to underpin a critical diagnosis of the present. In order to understand the stakes of the debate, the seminar introduces the central concepts, arguments and theoretical backgrounds of Foucault’s and Habermas’ political and social philosophy before turning to their (more or less direct) arguments against each other and the “Foucault-Habermas” debate. Here, we will focus on the three issues highlighted above: the starkly different conceptions of critical theory, the competing analyses of power and its relation to reason; and the contrasting ideas about the relation between theory and praxis, resulting in different conceptions of the figure of a public intellectual.
Preparatory Reading
Jürgen Habermas (1998 [1985]): The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity. Twelve Lectures. Translated by Frederik Lawrence. Cambridge: Blackwell.
Samantha Ashenden and David Owen (eds.) (1999): Foucault contra Habermas. Recasting the Dialogue between Genealogy and Critical Theory. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: Sage.
Michael Kelly, (ed.) (1994): Critique and Power. Recasting the Foucault/Habermas Debate. Cambridge, MA, London: MIT Press.
Michel Foucault (1997): What is Enlightenment? In: Paul Rabinow (ed.), Ethics, Subjectivity and Truth. Essential Works of Michel Foucault 1954–1984, vol. I. London: Penguin, 303–319.
Requirements
Basic knowledge of social theory or social/political philosophy is helpful; patience and endurance when reading difficult text is crucial.
Assessments
Pass/Fail Examination: Regular and active attendance. Furthermore, students must participate in the moderation of two sessions, prepared in small groups. Details will be discussed in the first week of the seminar.
Graded Examination: The final assessment is a term paper (3.000–4.000 words) due by 15 March 2027 (as an electronic copy via email; re-sit: 15 May 2027). Students must discuss the topic with the instructor before they start writing. – For philosophy students who need more than 6 ECTS, the term paper becomes 1,000 words longer for every ECTS point (e.g. 5.000–6.000 words for 8 ECTS; 7.000–9.000 words for 10 ECTS).