Page 13 - Communication and the Evolution of Society

XIV Translator’s Introduction

life history essentially anticipates the latter’s own reflective ap-
propriation of this story. The corroboration of a general interpre-
tation thus ultimately relies on the successful continuation of
processes of self-formation: “only the context of the self-forma-
tive process as a whole has confirming and falsifying power.’’ 1°
The relevance of this notion of a “systematically” or ‘‘theoret-
ically generalized history” for the critical theory of society was
suggested in Habermas’ discussion of Parsons in Zur Logik der
Sozialwissenschaften! Structural-functionalism interested him
aS an attempt to integrate action-theoretic and systems-theoretic
perspectives. Parsons does not ignore the meaningfulness of social
action; but he does not limit its significance to what is intended
by social agents or articulated in the cultural tradition. The social
system is conceived as a functional complex of institutions within
which cultural patterns or values are made binding for action,
that is, are incorporated into binding social norms and institu-
tionalized values. In this framework it is possible to investigate
empirical connections between social norms that go beyond the
subjective intentions of those acting under the norms. The sig-
nificance of the objective connections within the system of social
roles is latent; to grasp it we must discover the functions that
specific elements fulfill for the self-maintenance of the social
system.
Habermas’ criticisms of this approach centered around its sub-
ordination of the hermeneutic and critical moments of social
inquiry to the requirements of empirical-analytic science. Parsons
short-circuits the hermeneutic dimension by, for example, adopt-
ing the simplifying assumption of a universal value schema; all
value systems are constructed from the same set of basic value
orientations (pattern variables) fundamental to all social action.
But both the universality and the completeness of his table of
categories can be questioned; upon closer analysis it becomes
evident that the four pairs of alternative value orientations are
tailored to an analysis of one historical process, the transforma-
tion from traditional to modern society. There is a preunder-
standing of the historical situation incorporated into the very
formulation of these basic concepts. If the historically situated
character of functional analysis is to be taken into account, the