The Application Of Habermas' Universal Pragmatics In Labor Dispute Mediation

As philosophers constantly reflect on the world,philosophical studies have shifted from ontology to epistemology and eventually to linguistic philosophy.Philosophers are no longer entangled in the origin of knowledge,nor are they limited to the study of the relevance of subject and object,turning to the study of the meaning,nature and use of language.Among them,Habermas' s theory of “Universal Pragmatics” is a milestone in the development of dynamic pragmatics.Language is not only an instrument of expression of individual thought,but also a related interaction between people.In his theory,the action is divided into four categories,objective action,normative action,theatrical action and communicative action.Habermas associates them with "subjective world","objective world","social world" and "life-world" and corresponds to different validity requirements.Objective action is expressed by the actor's opinions or intentions regarding the state of affairs.Normative action is an act committed by an actor in the "social world" based on norms formed by common values.Theatrical action is the behavior of an actor to consciously express his opinions in front of the audience through style features,aesthetic expressions etc.in order to express himself and to associate it with “objective world” and “subjective world”.Communicative action is a comprehensive interpretation of the concept of language,and it is the behavior of the actor that achieves a coordinated and consistent behavior through the dialogue of the language in good faith under a unified and recognized norm.At the same time,"Inter-subjectivity" is the main feature of communicative action,which is language interaction of communicative people.Based on "subjective world","objective world," and "social world",Habermas proposed "life-world",which fully reflects the three "validity claims" of speech act,including authenticity,correctness and sincerity,closely connected with "Three World"."Universal Pragmatics" is instructive and meaningful in practice,especially its three "validity claims",manifestations of speech act as well as the "ideal discourse environment."In real life,“Universal Pragmatics” plays a very important guiding role in the mediation of labor disputes.Labor dispute mediation is a kind of activity for friendly settlement of disputes between employers and workers about labor rights and obligations by democratic consultation so as to promote mutual understanding and mutual accommodation,reach an agreement and eliminate disputes.However,the success or failure of mediation is affected by many factors,such as the professionalism of mediators,the personality and cultural level ofthe parties involved.If such mediation factors are not dealt with properly,mediation is likely to end in failure,or even start the proceedings.In this way,the parties waste both time and costs of dispute resolution.The theory of“Universal Pragmatics” provides a theoretical guarantee for the successful settlement of labor disputes.Mediators will improve professional level,effectively maintain the mediation order and create an “Ideal Discourse Environment” so as to ensure that the parties mediate in a fair and friendly context when mastering three “Validity Claims” and three manifestations of speech act.Further more,by the flexible use of three manifestations of speech act and conforming to “Validity Claims” and four principles of “Ideal Discourse Environment”,it is very easy to promote mutual understanding and help both parties reach a consensus on mediation in order to enhance the benefits of labor dispute mediation.