Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 April 2024
The forthcoming publication in English of Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy by Jürgen Habermas comes at a time when the nature and role of legal studies in the United States is being problematized. In both law schools and in the broader scientific and humanistic discussion of law (the totality of which, for the sake of brevity, I call legal studies), the consensus of more than a generation is breaking down, and a broad debate over what counts as interesting problems, adequate research, and useful results is emerging. This timing is central because Habermas has been a key figure in an important debate about the nature and prospects of social knowledge; a debate which has everything to do with the debate about the future of legal studies.
I would like to thank David Abraham, Kenneth Casebeer, and Steven L. Winter for their comments on earlier drafts. Of course they bear no responsibility for the views expressed herein.