Zwischen Identität und Diskurs – Wege zur Gemeinschaft?

Abstract The article shows that with respect to increasing complaints about the social coldness of our current society and awareness of the urgent needs in the global south it should be clear that we need a moral motivation to solidarity beyond all legal regulations. While at first glance it may seem seducing to draw on the concept of community in the sense of Tönnies, it becomes quickly clear that this is much more dangerous but useful. As the application of universal ethics may be difficult in intercultural correlations, an interpretation of discourse ethics by Seyla Benhabib seems promising. The idea of identity may provide us with a number of insights, but it leads into a misinterpretation of democracy and, in the end, it is extremely dangerous for society if it is split into a growing number of identity groups.