Rozumienie kultury w świetle filozofii komunikacji Karla-Otto Apla

Abstract

The aim of the article is the analysis of culture in the context of communication philosophy. The author underlines strict relation between comprehension and interpretation of culture as well as communication processes occurring in a particular community. The article is focused on Karl Otto-Apel’s philosophy, a German philosopher, the founder of transcendental-pragmatic idea. Through the analysis of two levels of social practice, namely real and ideal communication community, the author seeks to describe the functioning of culture as well as to limit the scope of social responsibility for its form. Karl Otto-Apel does not define the culture directly, however, in his contemplations concerning culture, it may be noticed that the culture created by the members of communication community, as a part of argumentative discourse. The definition of culture, thus, is governed by communicative action of rational agents, ready to undertake the difficulty of argumentative defining of prevalent norms and values. The real communicative community constitutes a forum, on the basis of which culture and common social practice are created. The process is enabled via the language, which in Apel’s idea that forms constitutive dimension, due to its communicative, social and pragmatic function. Moreover, communication in Apel’s philosophy has also an ethical-moral value. Constitution of culture is based on a mutual co-responsibility of all the members of the community for normative and directive form of culture.