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Communicative Action And The Radical Constitution
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The Habermasian Challenge To Hayek, Mises, And Their Descendents (with David L. Prychitko)
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Cambridge Journal of Economics, 31 (2) 2007.
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Abstract
This paper critically evaluates Jurgen Habermas’s recent call for a radically democratic rule of law, and argues that it is, at least in part, a praxeological exercise. The theory of action that Habermas develops, however, differs significantly from the praxeology of the Austrian school. As such, it represents a methodological challenge to Austrian praxeology, particularly the work of Mises. Additionally, Habermas’s criticism of the scientism of the welfare state is shown to be somewhat consistent with Hayek’s criticisms, but his radically democratic alternative to the contemporary welfare state challenges the political vision of Hayek and Austrian economists in general. This paper attempts to demonstrate that both Habermas’s and the Austrian school’s efforts to establish an a priori, praxeological approach to political economy suffer from similar weaknesses and epistemological pretenses.
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 Download "Communicative Action And The Radical Constitution" (PDF or MS Word)
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virgil storr, ph.d.
Mercatus Center at George Mason University
3301 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 450, Arlington, VA 22201
(703)993-8127; fax: (703) 993-4935
vstorr@gmu.edu
Last Updated: February 2010
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