Habermas' Paradigms

Habermas' paradigms consist of three different ways of looking at the world which include Empirical-analytic, Critical-theoretic and Situational interpretive. A situation that I came up with to relate to each of these paradigms is dating.  Using the Empirical-analytic perspective, justification is made through observations, measurement, and prediction. In relation to dating, people may find that it is the male role to ask out the female, to pick her up, and to pay for the meal, because this is generally the norm for how dating relationships take place, and this is how dating is portrayed often in real life and the media. This is a very objective way of looking at dating. Using the Situational interpretive method, people base their opinions on a subject upon their previous experiences and feelings. Therefore, in a dating relationship, the female may feel like they shouldn't or can't ask out the male, because that is not how their past relationships have taken place. They may feel like it is not their responsibility, because it is generally acknowledged to be the males place. This is more of a subjective way of looking at dating. In the Critical-theoretic model, we find more of a fault-finding approach. People using this approach may look further into a situation for deeper or hidden meanings. Therefore using this approach in a dating relationship, one may find that either the male or female can take the first step, as males can be just as shy as females. When it comes to paying for the date, which tends to fall under the responsibility of the male too, a critical theorist might suggest that in modern times, males and females are considered equal. Females are able to earn equal or higher salaries than men, so they should alternate paying for dates.