This volume examines the historical and intellectual contexts out of which Habermas' work emerged, and offers an overview of his main ideas, including those in his most recent publication. Among the topics discussed are: his relationship to Marx and the Frankfurt School of critical theory, his unique contributions to the philosophy of social sciences, the concept of ''communicative ethics,'' and the critique of postmodernism. Particular attention is paid to Habermas' recent work on democratic theory and the constitutional state.