Habermas deliberative democracy: Res Publica recovered

Abstract

This article explores the notion of deliberative Democracy that Habermas has in mind -from his Theory of Communicative Action- to reconnect Ethics and Politics, given the assumptions of his formalistic Ethics. To do so, Habermas revises the vivid themes passed on by the 1789 revolution, departing from the universalistic core of the type of constitutional State that originated there. On the other hand, unwilling to admit any metaphysical category, Habermas is forced -given his republican purposes- to discuss: Certain liberal assumptions, the bureaucratic system on which the modern State is based, and popular sovereignty that flows communicatively.