In Between Facts and Norms Habermas works out the legal and political implications of his theoretical approach, bringing to fruition the project announced more than three decades ago in The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere. Between Facts and Norms is a major contribution to current debates on the role of law and the prospects for the development of democracy in contemporary societies. Habermas develops a distinctive account of the nature of law, arguing that law is characterized by an internal tension between factual and normative aspects. He links this account to a broader argument concerning the formation of the modern constitutional state and the role of democratic deliberation as a means of securing the legitimacy of legal norms in complex, pluralistic societies. Habermas develops a proceduralist conception of democracy which emphasizes the importance of citizens organizing themselves in informal associations and voicing their concerns in a variety of public settings. If the formal processes of law-making in modern societies are to sustain their legitimacy, they must be capable of taking account of the concerns of ordinary citizens. In our complex, pluralistic societies, the legitimacy of political decision-making processes depends on a robust civil society and a vibrant public sphere. Between Facts and Norms is an outstanding work by one the most important social and political thinkers of our time. It will be a focal point of debate for many years to come in the fields of social and political theory, sociology, politics and philosophy.

哈贝马斯，生于1928年，先后在德国哥廷根大学，瑞士苏黎士大学、德国波恩大学学习哲学、心理学、历史学、经济学等。1961-1964年任海德堡大学哲学教授，1964-1967年任法兰克福大学哲学－社会学教授，法兰克福大学研究所所长，1971-1983年任德国普朗克研究院科技世界生活条件研究所所长，1983-1994年任法兰克福大学哲学－社会学教授，1994年退休。

哈贝马斯是当代西方重要的理论社会学家、哲学家，在德国乃至欧洲、北美的哲学和社会学领域有着广泛的影响。他的著作很多，几乎每一本著作的出版都被视为哲学界的一件大事。他的主要著作有：《公共领域的结构转型》（1962）、《理论与实践》（1963）、《知识与兴趣》（1968）、《晚期资本主义的合法性问题》（1973）、《交往行为理论》（1981）、《交往行为理论（补充与论证）》（1984）、《现代性的哲学话语》（1985）、《后形而上学思维》（1988）以及《在事实与规范之间》（1994）等等。