Consensus and Dissensus in Jrgen Habermas

Political life, especially in a democracy, cannot be reduced to the need for consensus. There are times and spaces that are not conducive to consensus. Too much consensus abolishes political conflict and can turn into its opposite. Democratic pluralism is situated in this ambiguous in-between, between the rule and the untamed. As such, it is neither the unbridled expression of self and anarchy, nor the systematic refusal of political unity.