Communicating Privacy A Politico-Philosophical Investigation of Private Autonomy in Deliberative Democracy
Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Flakne, April
Keywords
Jurgen Habermas, Communication, Public Sphere
Area of Concentration
Philosophy
Abstract
This thesis is a dual interrogation of the right to privacy and communication in the public sphere as two essentially-related components of a constitutional democracy. A �paradox of privacy� occurs when the law oversteps its own self-limit under the purported goal of enhancing private autonomy. In light of this paradox, any established normative account of privacy runs the risk of contradicting the actual experiences of some citizens. When private autonomy is freedom of action within the limits of the law, a normative account of what is private may marginalize voices offering a different account, and may ultimately marginalize those citizens in the public deliberative process necessary for the legitimation of laws. The solution provided within this thesis attempts to rehabilitate J�rgen Habermas� deliberative process that is the initial source of critique by exploring and opposing the problems identified in his model. Establishing the concept of �multiple counter publics� as sites that expose the actual inequalities among citizens by recognizing the social locations of the law�s addressees, we can look forward to the possibility of alleviating these inequalities and marginalizations. Theorizing one possible outcome of multiple publics, this thesis concludes with a provisional account of a positive reconceptualization of privacy.
Recommended Citation
Malossi, Kristin, "Communicating Privacy A Politico-Philosophical Investigation of Private Autonomy in Deliberative Democracy" (2011). Theses & ETDs. 4412.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/4412
Rights
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