Language as environment and foundation of social cognition

The hermeneutic turn, occurred in the 20th century, made the contemporary social theory face a number of methodologicalproblems. One of the main problems is associated with the crisis of consciousness model, and the basic principle of contemporarycritical theory - the principle contingency in theory, with its general idea to identify any situational thinking as essentially situationaland proclaim contextualism in social cognition. The problem can be formulated in the form of question: Is the idea of essentialsituationality of any thought compatible with the universalist claims, which are peculiar to the theory? In this paper we consider theaspect related to the orientation of contemporary social theory towards the form of language. We consider solutions to this problem offeredunder Hans-Georg Gadamers philosophical hermeneutics, Karl-Otto Apels transcendental pragmatics and Jurgen Habermassuniversal pragmatics. Gadamer reveals the universality of the languages measurement. Language is a transcendental value, if we takethe transcendental as appearing a necessary condition for the possibility for us to experience the world. However, being a transcendentalvalue language is not something external to the history, it is involved in history and everyday life. Apel borrows the concept of languagegames from Wittgenstein and transforms it: a set of specific language games, which were referred to in Wittgenstein, he regardedas manifestations of one universal transcendental language game. It is the transcendental language game, which supports the conditionthat ensures intersubjective importance to cognition. In terms of universal pragmatics, speech possesses its inherent universal standardsof rationality, which are assumed by each participant in a communication process. Rationality of communication is related to thoseclaims, which are implied within the communication mode of the language use, namely, claims to propositional truth, subjective sincerityand normative validity. In contemporary communicative philosophy the status of transcendental foundation is ascribed to the language.The structures of transcendental consciousness, providing authentic knowing, are being substituted with the structures of communicationthat give intersubjective importance to cognition. Also language is universal for any theoretical and practical activity. Wesee that the crisis of consciousness model and such factors as essential situationality and factuality of thinking do not deny the universalistpretensions inherent in both philosophy and contemporary social theory. Language and communication have structures that help indealing with local socio-cultural contexts, which determine the activity of a social theorist.

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