Abstract

This dissertation talks about two main topics in discourse ethics. First of all, it talks about the argument Apel and Habermas use to prove that ethical cognitivism is correct. Secondly, it talks about Habermas's theory of speech acts, and, in particular, his claim that "reaching understanding is the inherent telos of human speech." ;For each of these two topics, the dissertation tries to do three things: to explain what discourse ethics has to say; to analyze what the weaknesses of its arguments might be; and to suggest some ways in which these weaknesses might be overcome