Jurgen Habermas is one of the leading and one of the mostchallenging social theorists of our time. During the past severaldecades he has been developing a systematic critical analysis ofmodernity - its historical origins, pathologies and futureprospects. He is a thinker who has been uncannily attuned to thebasic moods and vital concerns of contemporary culture. Hestubbornly resists those who claim that Western rationality isexhausted, that the Enlightenment legacy is dead and that theproject of modernity is a failure. He has elaborated acomprehensive theory of rationality and the rationalisationprocesses of modernisation - one which highlights theintersubjective character of communicative action. His ambitiousand carefully argues intellectual project invites - indeed commands- rigorous critical scrutiny. This collection of critical essays draws together leadingthinkers from a variety of fields in order to assess some ofHabermas's major theses concerning the philosophical, cultural andsocial conditions of modernity. In his substantial reply to thesecritics Habermas clarifies and defends his view, specifying a rangeof new problems which demand further analysis. This book is an invaluable resource for understanding Habermas'swork and an essential text for anyone who is interested in currentdebates about the nature of, ad prospects for, contemporarysocieties and modern culture.