Discursive Theory of Democracy

The discursive theory of democracy attempts to base democracy on the relationship between civil society, the public sphere, discourse, and formal institutions. Discursive, deliberative democracy is a process of political decision-making with mutual understanding and reaching consensus on issues that are in discourse mode. It is especially characteristic of the modern, post-conventional, segmented, multicultural, decentralized society. Habermas analyzes in detail the mechanisms by which discursive democracy works. In this chapter, we convey some of Habermas’s reflections on that topic.