You often get these very reductive attacks on Habermas …

Interviewee: Grant Kester

In the art world, you often get these very reductive attacks on Habermas for postulating some sort of coercive concept of consensus. What he actually argues is that it’s necessary to have a set of norms that allow everyone an equal opportunity to express their views and opinions regarding political decisions. There’s no guarantee that these conversations will result in a universal consensus and, in fact, Habermas assumes that they will be characterized by disagreement and agonistic conflict. Neither does he argue that all forms of difference cease to operate in these exchanges. This is a normative model not a descriptive one. The “ideal speech situation” is unlikely to be produced in practice, but the idea of equal access to political decision making processes is a goal towards which we should aspire.