Introduction

Habermas defines modernity as a project that is incomplete, rather than as a phase of development that has been superseded by postmodernity (Habermas 1996d; 1984; 1987b). The project of modernity seeks to realize the ideals of universal emancipation, autonomy, authenticity and social progress. In his opinion, the project of modernity is based on rationality and it finds expression in different spheres of society. It is not limited to the instrumental and functionalist rationalization of the capitalist economy and the state's bureaucratic administrative system, rather it also occurs by way of communicative rationality in the spheres of science, art, and morality, as well as the broader interpersonal relations and social interaction of individuals’ lifeworld. Habermas's change to the paradigm of communication is then supposed to both enable a proper appreciation of the potential of modernity's cultural rationalization and overcome the difficulties that he believes bedevilled the Frankfurt School's critique of instrumental reason. The project of modernity derives from the critique of religious and metaphysical belief system's totalizing character, while at the same time depending on individual and collective learning processes that integrate the rationalization of the differentiated spheres of value:

One of the things to state about the project of modernity is that a loss of commitment to the project means the end of it. Habermas's intention is precisely to demonstrate that the project of modernity is binding upon modern individuals and that the price of renouncing the normative commitments of the modernist project is regression, both at the level of the modern individual and the social collective.