It is twenty–five years since Jürgen Habermas published his Theory of Communicative Action. Colin B. Grant shares the same commitment to a philosophical theory of communication but issues a range of challenges to Habermas’ magnum opus. Uncertainty and Communication mounts a critique of theories of dialogism and intersubjectivity, proposes a radical rethinking of the communicating subject in society and explores the new contingencies of culture and media in our interconnected global communication system.

This article provides an overview of constructivism. It presents the key philosophical precursors identified by the eminent radical constructivist Ernst von Glasersfeld before considering the high tide of constructivist thinking and the controversies it unleashed. The article distinguishes constructivism from constructionism before surveying the receding tide of this interesting movement.