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{{wiktionary}}'''Lifeworld''' (German: Lebenswelt) is a concept used in [[philosophy]] and in some [[social sciences]], meaning the world "as lived" prior to reflective re-presentation or analysis.
{{wiktionary}}'''Lifeworld''' (German: Lebenswelt) is a concept used in [[philosophy]] and in some [[social sciences]], particularly [[sociology]]. It means the world "as lived" (German: erlebt) prior to reflective re-presentation or theoretical analysis.


[[Edmund Husserl]] introduced the concept of the lifeworld in his ''Crisis of European Sciences'' (1936) following [[Martin Heidegger]]'s analysis of Being-in-the-world (In-der-Welt-Sein) in ''Being and Time''. The concept was still further developed by students [[Jan Patočka]], the Husserlian [[Alfred Schütz]], [[Maurice Merleau-Ponty]], [[Jürgen Habermas]], and others.
[[Edmund Husserl]] introduced the concept of the lifeworld in his ''Crisis of European Sciences'' (1936). Influences on Husserl's formulation of the lifeworld include [[Wilhelm Dilthey]]'s "life-nexus" (German: Lebenszusammenhang) and [[Martin Heidegger]]'s Being-in-the-world (German: In-der-Welt-Sein). The concept was further developed by students of Husserl such as [[Maurice Merleau-Ponty]], [[Jan Patočka]], and [[Alfred Schütz]].


For Habermas, lifeworld is more or less the "background" environment of competences, practices, and attitudes representable in terms of one's cognitive horizon. It's the lived realm of informal, culturally-grounded understandings and mutual accommodations. [[Rationalization]] of the lifeworld is a keynote of Habermas's 2-volume ''[[Theory of Communicative Action]]''. Penetration of lifeworld rationality by [[bureaucracy]] is analyzed by Habermas as 'colonization of the lifeworld'.
[[Jürgen Habermas]] has also furthered developed the concept in his social theory. For Habermas, the lifeworld is more or less the "background" environment of competences, practices, and attitudes representable in terms of one's cognitive horizon. It is the lived realm of informal, culturally-grounded understandings and mutual accommodations. [[Rationalization]] and [[colonization]] of the lifeworld by the instrumental rationality of bureaucracies and market-forces is a primary concern of Habermas's two-volume ''[[Theory of Communicative Action]]''.


Social coordination and systemic regulation occur by means of shared practices, beliefs, values, and structures of interaction, which may be institutionally based. We are inevitably lifeworldly, such that individuals and interactions draw from custom and cultural traditions to construct identities, define situations (at best, by coming to understandings, but also by negotiations), to coordinate action, and create social solidarity. (See also: Seidman, 1997:197)
Social coordination and systemic regulation occur by means of shared practices, beliefs, values, and structures of communicative interaction, which may be institutionally based. We are inevitably lifeworldly, such that individuals and interactions draw from custom and cultural traditions to construct identities, define situations, coordinate action, and create social solidarity. Ideally this occurs by communicatively coming to understanding (German: [[Verstehen]]), but it also occurs through pragmatic negotiations (Compare: Seidman, 1997:197).


One might also cross refer to [[Pierre Bourdieu]]'s notion of '[[habitus]]'
The lifeworld is related to further concepts such as [[Pierre Bourdieu]]'s notion of '[[habitus]]'


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 14:51, 16 September 2007

Lifeworld (German: Lebenswelt) is a concept used in philosophy and in some social sciences, particularly sociology. It means the world "as lived" (German: erlebt) prior to reflective re-presentation or theoretical analysis.

Edmund Husserl introduced the concept of the lifeworld in his Crisis of European Sciences (1936). Influences on Husserl's formulation of the lifeworld include Wilhelm Dilthey's "life-nexus" (German: Lebenszusammenhang) and Martin Heidegger's Being-in-the-world (German: In-der-Welt-Sein). The concept was further developed by students of Husserl such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jan Patočka, and Alfred Schütz.

Jürgen Habermas has also furthered developed the concept in his social theory. For Habermas, the lifeworld is more or less the "background" environment of competences, practices, and attitudes representable in terms of one's cognitive horizon. It is the lived realm of informal, culturally-grounded understandings and mutual accommodations. Rationalization and colonization of the lifeworld by the instrumental rationality of bureaucracies and market-forces is a primary concern of Habermas's two-volume Theory of Communicative Action.

Social coordination and systemic regulation occur by means of shared practices, beliefs, values, and structures of communicative interaction, which may be institutionally based. We are inevitably lifeworldly, such that individuals and interactions draw from custom and cultural traditions to construct identities, define situations, coordinate action, and create social solidarity. Ideally this occurs by communicatively coming to understanding (German: Verstehen), but it also occurs through pragmatic negotiations (Compare: Seidman, 1997:197).

The lifeworld is related to further concepts such as Pierre Bourdieu's notion of 'habitus'