Habermas and Nature: The Theory of Communicative Action for Studying Environmental Policy

Habermas's theory of communicative action is used in this paper to develop a cultural model for empirical studies of environmental policy processes. The model consists of three cultural ideal types: anthropocentric material; anthropocentric immaterial; and ecocentric immaterial. Obstacles to social learning and public participation, such as forms and styles of reasoning and the exclusion of citizens, are brought into focus. Finally, the model functions as a criticism of a pure liberal view of environmental problems.