Habermas-- the defender of modernity

Though belonging to Frankfurt school theorists, Habermas widens the understanding of reason as a duality. There are two dimensions to reason: instrumental and communicative, these correspond to parallel but distinctive patterns of development in modern society: technological and moral progress, respectively. This theoretical argument provides the foundation for Habermas's conception of critical theory as a normative project.

Habermas argues that there are two dimensions in modern society, the system and the lifeworld. These correspond to the two dimensions of reason on which the development of modern society depends. The asymmetry between the system and the lifeworld in modern society is the primary cause of problem. According to Habermas, this problem can be resolved by drawing on a potential for political self-determination which already exists within lifeworld.

Hebermas agrees with Weber that the development of modern society is driven by an underlying logic of rationalization. However, unlike Weber, he maintains that this logic has a dualistic quality, consisting of the two dimensions of reason. The first derives from the growth of instrumental reason, the second from the development of value rationality, or what Habermas calls communicative reason. Action oriented to reaching shared understanding following communicative reason, Habermas calls communicative action "is that form of social interaction in which the plans of action of different actors are co-ordinated through an exchange of communicative acts through the use of language oriented towards reaching understanding"

While the growth of instrumental reason underwrites economic and technological progress in modern society, the growth of communicative reason enables society to achieve a higher level of moral and political maturity. Whereas the classical theorists characterize social differentiation in terms of the specialization of key functions in society, Habermas points to a more basic division between two major dimensions of modern society, namely, the system and the lifeworld. He defines the system and the lifeworld in two ways, focusing on their operating logic and their empirical manifestation. The operating logic of each dimension is determined by the form of reason which is inherent to its formation. In empirical terms, the system includes economic and administrative organization; the lifeworld consists of the education system, media and family life.

The development of modern society depends on the uncoupling of the system and the lifeworld, not the differentiation of society as a whole into subsystems which operate according to instrumental reason. The subsequent stability of society hinges on the maintenance of equilibrium between these two dimensions.

The internal colonization of the lifeworld

Lifeworld consists of the stock of knowledge we need in order to enter into social relations. In traditional society, such knowledge was a matter of tradition. In modern society, the values and beliefs which constitute the lifeworld tend to be articulated and questioned. This is a rational process. We intend to accept certain value and belief only if there are good reasons. Habermas suggests that dialogue enables us to ensure that those values and beliefs apply to everyone, not just privileged or powerful minority. The problem is that the development of the lifeworld has been compromised by the predominance of the system in modern society. We have mistakenly applied criteria derived from instrumental reason to lifeworld questions, and to institutions that properly reside in their own dimension of society. Hebermas refers to this process as the internal colonization of the lifeworld.

Habermas's critique of modern society is that such a lifewold has not been allowed to develop in modern society. It has been compromised not only by a tendency for political discussion to be anchored to private interests, there are deeper, structural factors at work. By the far most significant derives from the expansion of the system and in the mode of reasoning into the areas of society that properly belong to the lifeworld. The system has increasingly invaded, or colonized, the lifeworld, distorting the operation of institution such as family and education system.

The two examples are :process of juridification and the phenomenon of culture impoverishment.