The Public and its Missed Opportunities

This article examines Axel Honneth’s contribution to a critical theory of the public sphere, through his connection with the Frankfort School (Adorno and Horkheimer, Habermas). After highlighting the characteristics of Honneth’s approach, the author looks at his proposed analyses in terms of “missed opportunities” of the modern public sphere. This sphere appears to be characterized by contradictory trends: while all those concerned are in principle included in participation in public debate, the dominant classes still enjoy “cultural hegemony”; and while the channels of political communication are broadened, it nevertheless allows for the commodification of information, resulting in a “depoliticization” of the public. To conclude, based on Honneth’s overall diagnosis, some directions appear for reflection on the new challenges facing the democratic public sphere, raised by “cyberspace”.