Habermas' Modernity-salvaging Theory And Its Constructiveness To Chinese Modernization

Attention has been widely paid to the issue of modernity in 1900's western philosophy research. Almost various culture criticism theories were going on with modernity at the core. The essence of modernity is"spirit temperament"by Foucault, i.e. rationality, subjectivity, and freedom. The modernity has both the historical and time implication, which is an incomplete proposal in pursuit of ideal of humankind.Actually, the value ideal of modernity did not be realized in capitalism society. Otherwise it has become a new conscience and power course. Knowledge-born self-respect subject leads to human center mindedness and ultra-selfishness, and rationalism has gone to scientific monopoly and technological optimism. The result and ideal of modernity go in opposite way. The subjectivity has been governance and humankind emancipation into new segregation. Thus the modernity has been in dilemma. The differentiation of modernity causes plenty of criticism and deconstruction through the slogan of"the subject is dead"and by the means of finding"rational others".Habermas salvaged the differentiated modernity to tap the potential of modernity. He constructed the basic theory–universal semantics with the revolution from recognition theory to semantics as the logic outlet. And this supplied the touchstone for his intercourse behavior theory.Because traditional philosophy did not give the rational diagnose to the differentiated modernity, Habermas declared that"conscience philosophy paganism had been died away", which is the prerequisite of paganism transformation. Only through this transform can we seek a new foundation to the modernity and overcome its contradiction. He thought it a sole way to salvage the modernity from tool rationality of intercourse rationality, by which the individual temperament segregation and discrimination and ill effect can be dismantled. He tried to criticize the phenomenon of monopolization of living world to reset the fragile and waxed rational fragmentation of living world for the humankind's thought emancipation.Modernity is the mindedness of modernization, and modernization the reality of modernity. During the strenuous Chinese modernization process, the coexistence of traditional value system, modern value system and post-modern value system is the contradiction source of modernization construction. Not only there is time variance but also degree variance in comparison to western world. The issue of Chinese modernity is still a subject one. The modernization needs subject conscience as well as new spirit temperament. Hence, China's modernization is a historical process together with subject formulation. As the constructive effect of Habermas'theory to Chinese modernization, the modernity ideal is suppose to be the pillar value orientation. The harmonious society construction should consist of prevention bellied tool rationality and ultra subject spread. Only through this can we realize the mingling of scientific rationality and humanistic value, the coordination between individual and the whole humankind society. The intercourse rationality attaches great importance to the dialogue, course analysis and equal rights of different subjects. Therefore, it provides a theory platform to the Sino-foreign cultural communication.