he+Uncoupling+of+System+and+the+Life+World

Tatiana Ware Habermas, “The Uncoupling of System and Lifeworld” · Habermas' theory argues that there has been an "uncoupling" of the "system" and the "lifeworld" through various processes including the colonization of the lifeworld by the system, what Habermas calls "juridification." Juridification is the process by which components of the lifeworld are increasingly being brought under the jurisdiction of the system. The system component is comprised of institutions and governing bodies, while the lifeworld component is composed of societal and individual-level attitudes, beliefs, and values. · Habermas argues that the life-world is based on communication, agreement, and consensus, and is ultimately domination by religious (and cultic as he describes them) norms. A coupled lifeworld and system is characterized by ritual practice whereas and “uncoupled” lifeworld and system is characterized by the practice of argumentation · The process by which the system and the lifeworld are uncoupled seems to describe the eventual secularization of society. o The meat of the article centers around the table on pg 179, detailing the process of the separation of the sacred and the secular in world systems. o He describes four “domains of action” 1) the domain of cultic practice, 2) the domain in which religious systems of interpretation have the power to directly influence everyday action 3) communication 4) purposive activity, where argument and dissention from religious ideals and patterns of interpretation characterize relationships between the system and its members as well as between the members themselves. o Coupled lifeworld and system: in pre-Pre-language societies the institutionalization of social solidarity is important and highly ritualized behavior. But language breaks up the “unity of teleological, normative, expressive, and cognitive aspects of action”(178). o Beginning stages of the uncoupling process: The development of more efficient cooperation based on division of labor in the areas of production and warfare represents the earliest aspect of the rationality of action. § At this stage religious and metaphysical worldviews arise. The tools for developing more than a holistic view of validity have not yet been established o Later Stages: When truth claims can be isolated it becomes possible to make sense of technical know-how and see connection between efficiency in action and the truth of empirical statements. § Art, morality and law have already differentiated but are still part of the sacred domain. In the “profane” or secular realm, there is more differentiation of validity claims through argument. o Final stages: Institutions aren’t legitimated through religious and metaphysical worldviews o The legal institutionalization of the monetary medium and success oriented action loses connection to action oriented by mutual understanding and social solidarity Points still not clear: The difference btwn communicative and purposive activity