The Public Sphere

The public sphere is the first significant topic opened by Habermas in the social sciences. In the development of this theory, the influence of critical theory is evident, which later fades and is completely lost from Habermas’ theoretical perspectives. This chapter presents the historical context of the development and reduction of the influence of the public sphere. Habermas is particularly preoccupied with the question of the ideological function of the public sphere and the reasons why it began to fail. Among the factors that Habermas points out and that we present in this chapter are the growth of the welfare state, the commercialization of the economy, and the media.