The Inclusion of the Other: Studies in Political Theory

Edited by Ciaran Cronin and Pablo De Greiff Since its appearance in English translation in 1996, J 1/4rgen Habermas's Between Facts and Norms has become the focus of a productive dialogue between German and Anglo-American legal and political theorists. The present volume contains ten essays that provide an overview of Habermas's political thought since the original appearance of Between Facts and Norms in 1992 and extend his model of deliberative democracy in novel ways to issues untreated in the earlier work. Habermas's theory of democracy has at least three features that set it apart from competing positions. First, it combines a concern with questions of normative justification with an empirical analysis of the social conditions necessary for the realization of democratic institutions. Second, at the heart of his model is the assertion of an internal relationship between liberalism and democracy. On this account, the rights of the individual that are central to liberalism can be guaranteed only within a constitutional framework that at the same time fosters democratic rights of political participation through the public sphere. Finally, Habermas defends a conception of universal human rights that is not only sensitive to cultural differences but also calls for legal and political institutions that facilitate the cultivation of cultural and religious identities within pluralistic societies. These essays demonstrate the extraordinary power of Habermas's theory of democracy through a further engagement with Rawls's political liberalism and through original contributions to current debates over nationalism, multiculturalism, and the viability of supranational political institutions.

Author: Jurgen Habermas
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 01/27/2000
Pages: 338
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.19lbs
Size: 8.88h x 5.92w x 0.76d
ISBN: 9780262581868
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
New York Review of Books 01/16/2003 pg. 43

About the Author
Jürgen Habermas is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Frankfurt and Professor of Philosophy at Northwestern University. He was recently awarded the 2004 Kyoto Prize for Arts and Philosophy by the Inamori Foundation. The Kyoto Prize is an international award to honor those who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment of mankind.

Ciaran Cronin is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and of German at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Pablo De Greiff is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo and Research Director of the International Center for Transitional Justice.