Nietzsche, communication and the possibility of emancipation

Abstract

Communication has become an increasingly discussed concept in postmodernity. While commentators agree on the value of the concept, there is a wide range of views on the consequences of the concept: Vattimo sees communication as heralding a new type of society based on transparency,l while Habermas sees communication as a form of action with the potential for emancipation. In this paper, I will be questioning the possibility of the latter: to do this I will first examine Nietzsche's views on communication; then I will examine Nietzsche's use of communication as a critique of consciousness; finally offer a critical analysis of Habermas' s project of communicative action in the light of the Nietzschean critique of communication.