In paying tribute to Jürgen Habermas on his eightieth birthday, Charles Taylor described the octogenerian as

Taylor goes on to portray Habermas as “articulating two profound changes in the consciousness of the later 20th Century,” both of which center on the concept of dialogue. The first profound change, which was philosophical in nature, challenged the monological turn taken by modern Western philosophy with the work of René Descartes. The second occurred within Western political cultures through the growing demand that democracies become more fully representative of their populations’ diversity. Seeking what Taylor calls a renegotiation of the political contract, groups previously excluded from the political mainstream agitated for fuller inclusion. As Taylor points out in his homage to Habermas, such renegotiation can only be conducted dialogically.