Nature and function of communication in some theoretical reflections on the contemporary sociopolitical world

Abstract

Communication plays a central role in the social and political theory of the contemporary world. Theories cannot be constructed without relying on communication for their development. However, communication serves different functions depending on whether we are dealing with normative or descriptive theories. In the former, communication is an indispensable component to substantiate the principles of a democratic society or establish the ideal horizons to which society should aspire; in the latter, communication is a central element for describing the contemporary social world. Nevertheless, the nature of communication, whether in a normative or descriptive context, will be defined differently by different authors. Thus, for some thinkers, it will fulfill its objective: it will have a communicative nature and, therefore, facilitate understanding among individuals; for others, it may be deemed unsuccessful, appearing as incommunicative, or presenting difficulties in achieving understanding among different perspectives. These different propositions will be observed in the works of the thinkers we will briefly explore here: John Rawls, Richard Rorty, Antonio Negri, Jürgen Habermas, and Byung-Chul Han.