Ideal public sphere and its theoretical foundations

¶ … Public Sphere

The Case for a Global Socialist Federation

No one can give an exact date, time, or era in which globalization began. Some would argue that it has its roots in colonialism. Others might say it bloomed with the communication revolution. Since the United States' own colonial days, however, one can pin point many areas that might be called global, many ideals that may be been globalized. Probably the most obvious example of early globalization is trade, and the trade routes that lead for exploration between Europe and Asia, and Europe and the Americas. In 1914, and then again in 1939, war became global with the beginning of WWI and WWII. Technological innovations making travel simpler began to allow a greater sharing of populations, and communication innovations such as the telephone, television, and the Internet quickly exported Western pop culture around the world during the 1960s and into today. Thus, the world can no longer be segmented into the narrowly defined Westphalian states. Instead it spans boarders and crosses property lines on the Internet, in the movies, on the news, and through communicating governments. But what is the future of globalization. Is it series of connected federations like the European Union or a single unified state, or is it an even simpler system of sovereign states? This answer depends on one unique, innovative, and volatile variable -- the public. By assessing the goals and demographics of the public sphere, one can argue that an evolved socialism of large political institutions will be the best form of government in the emerging global world.

Although the world's population is made up of many people from different ethnic backgrounds, determining a common goal for the public sphere is not as difficult as many make it out to be. Indeed, the difficulty occurs when one is forced to use words like "moral," which have a different definition for everyone. Instead, Wilson argues for social justice as the primary goal of the public sphere. Indeed, Wilson integrates socialism into this goal, arguing not that the global public sphere should adopt communism, but rather "the sort of Socialism...[that is]...the natural reed of all peaceable folks" (66). Furthermore, Bohman states that Kant includes peace in this list of goals (179). Integrating these ideas and expounding on them, one can determine that the goal of the global public sphere is, indeed, what is best for society -- freedom from harm, fear, and discrimination. Thus, the goals of the public sphere can be summed up in the words "peace" and "social justice." In order to achieve these goals, however, a secondary, and perhaps one should say causal, goal of the public sphere is to express their opinions for societal betterment in a way that cannot be denied by the more powerful individuals.