Remarks on the Concept of Communicative Action

Abstract

Sociological theories of action are concerned with clarifying the concept of social action. To be sure, the cooperation of (at least two) actors, who coordinate their instrumental actions to carry out a common plan of action, is one paradigmatic case of social action, for on the basis of this model it is possible to analyse, for example, elementary cases of societal work. But even in simple societies, work is only one of many typical cases of interaction. I want, therefore, to start with the general question of how social action is possible. The question: ‘How is social action possible?’ is only the other side of the question: ‘How is a social order possible?’ A theory of action that is to answer these questions must be capable of stating the conditions in which alter can ‘link up’ his actions to those of ego.

Translation by Ruth Stanley. German original: ‘Erläuterungen zum Begriff des kommunikativen Handelns’, in Habermas, J.: Vorstudien und Ergänzungen zur Theorie des kommunikativen Handelns, Frankfurt 1983,571–606.