Habermas the Public/Private Divide: "The Term Paper

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So how did notions of free speech as a private right, which could not be impinged upon by the government? Newspapers were not owned by the government, they put forth their own views, not political propaganda, thus they were private, and free speech became a private right of all citizens. Newspapers could influence public opinion, the collective opinions of individuals about government, but newspapers were not directly affiliated with the government (96).

Of course, this relatively neat division on paper is far messier in actual, lived history. Habermas points out collective needs of citizens often must be addressed by the public arms of government, even though they may pertain to private needs. The need to be protected from unsafe cars produced by private industry might be a private demand, but it is a law that must be enforced by the public arm of the government.

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Also, the private sphere of industry, though lobbying, can influence the public sphere in terms of legislation, and thus have a considerable impact upon both pubic and private life (97).

Divisions between public and private continue to be confused as businesses employ "public relations" firms to manage the opinions of individuals, not simply the government (97). Thus, the collective private sphere of people form a collective, public voice that is neither governmental nor a mere conglomeration of private interests. The confusion about what is private or public may originate in the fact that the term itself has been invested with so many different meanings over time, and is so dependant upon the context in which it is used -- to distinguish commerce from government, to separate individual from collective desires, or to designate an area of life that cannot be impinged upon by the.....

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