Learning and Communicative Rationality: The Contribution of Jürgen Habermas

The paper is an attempt to outline Habermas' contributions to a theory of learning. Such contributions are found in his work on individual learning and socialization, the constitution and reproduction of lifeworlds, the character of social evolution, the processes of public delibearation and democracy and the idea and role of universities. A "theory of learning" is not taken in a very formalised sense, rather the idea is to identify themes where Habermas' theoretical framework provide the opportunity for locating important aspects of learning in modern society.