Today we discussed how the history is incorporated with the overall concept Habermas explains about Public Sphere. Our group's one sentence to describe it was "History laid the foundation for the creation and evolution of the public sphere." I think this accurately describes the history and concept. The history describes the former public sphere consisting of only the church and state. When groups outside of the church and state are brought to discuss change and issues in an accessible manner, it becomes a public sphere.
We also discussed the different values Habermas portrays in his article. I believe that democracy is a large value discussed in his article. As democracy evolved, the public sphere grew to those in the third class (peasantry), again creating public sphere.
I agree that Habermas portrays how democracy evolved and the public sphere grew to the peasantry. The important thing to remember is that it is the private or individuals responsibilty rather than the governments responsibility to transfer information. I wouldn't even call it a responsibilty but a right to do so. This is the first time in history when the idea of a public is even conceived. When the average person is considered as a reliable source. Again, I'm interested to hear what people have to say.
ReplyDelete