Abstract
The construction of the public sphere through discourse is ever more important in our modern society. Arendt and Habermas are the most significant therorists who deal with this theme. However their thinking shows very interesting contrasts, especially in terms of the relation between discourse and politics. Arendt excluded any instrumentality from communications, therefore public sphere in her reflections lost its means to adjust conflicts of interest. In contrast, Habermas defined communication as a means to reach a consensus. But, as a consequence of this, his publics lost the differentiation between freedom and necessity, one of the most fundamental issues in politics.
In this paper, through the consideration of this aporia, we seek to explore the limits and possibilities of communication in the public realm.
