The political public sphere as the maintenance of order: Convergence in Hannah Arendt and Jurgen Habermas

Abstract

H. Arendt's and J. Habermas' conceptions of public sphere often have been studied independently in the literature. This article brings and analyzes them together on the common basis of the model of "political public sphere." For both thinkers, the public sphere is a site of free and equal deliberation based on regulative principles; and it serves the creation of a collective will around matters of common concern. The article argues that this model reduces the scope and meaning of politics for the sake of developing an "ideal" and "true" politics or a "legitimate and democratic" politics, also referring to the distinction between "politics" and "police" made by J. Rancierè.