Nnadiebube Journal of Philosophy

Humans and society as a whole have always had an interest in living and acting morally. This necessity serves as the foundation for the study of ethics. Against this backdrop, Jurgen Habermas presented his concept of discourse ethics—a procedural and reconstructive ethics—based on the ideas of universalization (U) and discourse (D). Discourse ethics aims to arrive at moral truth through argumentation and interlocutory procedure as opposed to monologue. Establishing a process based on presumptions and intended to ensure the impartiality of the judgment process is discourse ethics. Conversely, "practical discourse is a procedure for producing justified norms, not for testing the validity of hypothetical norms." Discourse ethics differs from Rawls's theory of justice as well as from other cognitivist, universalist, and formalist ethical theories because of its proceduralism. This study examines Habermas' discourse ethics using the critical analytical approach of philosophy to assess its validity, plausibility, and applicability to Nigerian society. The study makes the case that Habermas' discourse ethics are valid, sound, and applicable to the deeply rooted ethnoreligious challenges that the Nigerian state is currently facing.

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