Habermas, Dahrendorf, and the Discourse on Social Complexity in Contemporary Society

Abstract

This paper critically examines the later works of Jürgen Habermas and Ralf Dahrendorf to answer the question: How can deliberative democratic theory and liberal sociology jointly inform solutions to rising inequality and democratic erosion in the era of hyper-globalization? By mapping points of convergence and divergence in their analyses of globalization, institutional crisis, and social solidarity, the paper offers a novel framework that integrates Habermas’s concept of the “public sphere” with Dahrendorf’s emphasis on institutional resilience. This original contribution demonstrates how combining these perspectives can guide policy proposals for revitalizing democratic participation and ensuring fairer wealth distribution in contemporary Western societies.