The False Programs of Negation of Culture

Habermas concedes that modernity has thus failed. However he refuses to abandon the project. Rather he insists on learning from the mistakes of those extravagant programs, which tried to negate modernity. So, the project of modernity should be continued to establish a connection between modern culture and everyday life. He says: the project of modernity has not yet to be fulfilled. And the reception of art is only one of at least three of its aspects. The project aims at a differentiated reigning of modern culture with an everyday praxis that still depends on heritages, but would be impoverished through more traditionalism. Thus, Habermas expects to have established this kind of linkage, but conversely for the near future he does not see very a strong possibility of such connection.

The modern solutions to postmodern problems are highlighted by Jurgen Habermas in the article “Habermas’ Theory of Modernity: An Incomplete Project!”. The main highlights in this article are “The Project of Enlightenment, The False Programme of Negative of Culture, Theory of rationalization of system and life-world and Theory of Community”, Habermas accepts that modernity has its discontents and he also accepts that the division of ‘life-world’ has separated ones ethics, aesthetics and cognition. Habermas talks about the contemporary situations which cannot be solved by system learning to function better, rather impulse from the life-world that must be able to enter into the self-steering of functional systems. Today we hope that may be this would create important steps ahead the formation of mutually cultivated life-world and system. It is now that social movements move itself into the picture because it represent what of now is the true hope of a regaining system and life-world so that the two may rationalize the highest possible degree and the plan of modernity hoping to be fulfilled but the reception of art that is only one of the least three of its conditions. The project aims at a differentiated reigning of modern culture with an everyday custom that still depends on share, but would be impoverished through more traditionalism.

Modernism, he says, is a goal of Enlightenment, to enrich the ‘life world’ through reason. The Enlightenment is the point at which a new role for art was devised. Increased attention to objective science, universal law and morality and autonomous art would lead the way towards an improved world.

Habermas talks about modern solutions to postmodern problems. He argues that “A normal society would be one in which both system and life-world are permitted to deliberate in their own way, following their own logics.” The philosophical system and life-world will lead to a society that the material abundance and control over its environments will result of normal systems and truth, goodness, and beauty stemming from a normal-like world. But what’s happening today in the present is that the system of philosophy has taken over the life-world philosophy. State where system philosophy has gained power over everyone’s present life. In practice, life-world has turned into system rationality where it cannot be counted as modernity.