Peter E. Gordon in NYRB: ‘By the time of his [Jürgen Habermas’] death, however, many felt that this principle had grown obsolete. In Germany and elsewhere the official obituaries were fulsome in their praise, but one could hardly ignore the widespread opinion among journalists and critics that he had outlived his time. Some condemned his entire life’s work, vilifying him for his alleged Eurocentrism or liberalism, as if these were the worst crimes imaginable at a moment when the European Union was threatened by Russian aggression and political parties fueled by xenophobia (…) were on the ascent.’

And: ‘Habermas never claimed that we are likely to reach a noncoercive agreement. His point was only that without assuming the possibility of rational consensus we would not engage in giving reasons at all.’

We may not convince anybody with our arguments, but we need reason to keep irrationality a part-time hobby.

(a sf 2251)