Decentration . . .

Decentration is a central concept in Habermas and is closely related to his concept of rationality and hence generality. Decentration consists in a possibility of detachment from the specificity and particularity in which individuals and communities are by definition embedded. Decentration can in fact be defined as the condition that makes possible for agents to detach from the specificity and particularity of their respective lifeworlds. This possibility imputes reflective character on the lifeworld concerned and gives it priority over other lifeworlds.