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Habermas and Hanson
Jun. 19th, 2026 05:21 pmThis Sunday I'll be presenting at the Isocracy Network on the political theory of the recently deceased Jurgen Habermas. Habermas was Europe's leading social philosopher for most of the latter 20th century and into the 21st, writing mainly on the importance of communication, rationality, and social justice. About a month ago, I spoke at the Existentialist Society on his philosophy ("The United Colours of Jürgen Habermas: A Life's Work"), with a video now on YouTube and a transcript also available. This presentation will concentrate on his political and sociological contributions, namely the idea of the public sphere, the idea of a society being a system and a lifeworld, his concerns with Europe, democracy, and justice, and his notion of a "post-secular" society. There will also be a critique strongly oriented toward environmental and political economy concerns.
As a more local issue, many Australian people are commenting on the sudden rise of One Nation's in opinion polls, and especially following leader Pauline Hanson's address to the National Press Club. Whilst Hanson is already notorious for her anti-migrant, anti-multicultural, and anti-aboriginal views, the address has also brought to attention how anti-worker One Nation is as well, which of course fits PHON's voting record (when they actually bother to turn up). Increasingly, people are also beginning to understand that PHON is opposed to women's reproductive rights, that they want to increase the voting age and introduce conscription, anti-renewables, and a range of other measures that are pretty unpalatable to the vast majority of Australians.
What is interesting, however, is that PHON, well funded through Gina Rheinhart and with a core of extreme right supporters, has attracted a very substantial protest vote, people who feel that they've been neglected by the political system and have no avenue to participate. Interestingly, Habermas made some significant predictions in this regard; he was very critical of functional neoliberalism from the 1970s onwards and the damage it would cause to social integration, and likewise he offered a tough critique of technocratic tendencies within social democratic parties - like the Labor Party here in Australia. No matter how well they might govern or what economic benefits they bring, Habermas consistently argued that there is a need for both participatory and deliberative avenues in democracy to ensure the inclusion of all voices. Whilst I have plenty to write about PHON (and will), it is important to recognise there is a Habermasian explanation for Hansonism. That will also be part of my presentation on Sunday.
As a more local issue, many Australian people are commenting on the sudden rise of One Nation's in opinion polls, and especially following leader Pauline Hanson's address to the National Press Club. Whilst Hanson is already notorious for her anti-migrant, anti-multicultural, and anti-aboriginal views, the address has also brought to attention how anti-worker One Nation is as well, which of course fits PHON's voting record (when they actually bother to turn up). Increasingly, people are also beginning to understand that PHON is opposed to women's reproductive rights, that they want to increase the voting age and introduce conscription, anti-renewables, and a range of other measures that are pretty unpalatable to the vast majority of Australians.
What is interesting, however, is that PHON, well funded through Gina Rheinhart and with a core of extreme right supporters, has attracted a very substantial protest vote, people who feel that they've been neglected by the political system and have no avenue to participate. Interestingly, Habermas made some significant predictions in this regard; he was very critical of functional neoliberalism from the 1970s onwards and the damage it would cause to social integration, and likewise he offered a tough critique of technocratic tendencies within social democratic parties - like the Labor Party here in Australia. No matter how well they might govern or what economic benefits they bring, Habermas consistently argued that there is a need for both participatory and deliberative avenues in democracy to ensure the inclusion of all voices. Whilst I have plenty to write about PHON (and will), it is important to recognise there is a Habermasian explanation for Hansonism. That will also be part of my presentation on Sunday.
