SOAS Research Online

Abstract

From a purely technical perspective, in Knowledge and Human Interests, Jürgen Habermas does not appear to make any ostensible references to the burgeoning tradition of liberal naturalism. From a purely philosophical perspective, Habermas’s transcendental pragmatist critique of scientism does not in and of itself commit him to liberal naturalism, so much so that Habermas may resist being labelled any kind of ‘naturalist’ despite his fusion of Kant’s transcendentalism and Darwin’s naturalism. Taking this into account, rather than ask the question, ‘Is Habermas a liberal naturalist?’, my chapter poses and offers an answer to the following alternative question: ‘In what ways can liberal naturalism benefit from Habermasian resources?’ While Knowledge and Human Interests is the principal site of Habermas’s reflections on philosophy and the Naturwissenschaften, I want to focus attention on how important aspects of his mature critical social theory play significant roles in the liberal vs. scientific naturalism debate.