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Discourse Ethics and the Problem of Oppression

Discourse as Moral Epistemology

What justifies a norm? For Jürgen Habermas the justification of norms is a function of their validation through a duly-constituted discourse. Norms are "rational" if they are agreed to in deliberative discourse. More specifically, a norm's validity is a function of its reasonableness to the participants in discourse, and this validity is what constitutes what is moral.¹ Appeals to a norm must be able to win adherence to its implicit claim to moral justification through rational arguments.²

For Habermas, validity (agreement on the basis of reasons acceptable to all) can only be gained through a procedure...