Democracia e Legitimidade: três teses sobre o papel da comunicação na justificação política

This paper intends to contribute to a broad understanding of the role attributed to communication,by contemporary democratic theory, in the justification of political authority. To achieve this goal,diversified theoretical perspectives will be settled in three groups – the theses of contribution,exclusivity and necessity – according to the place each assigns to deliberation in guaranteeinglegitimacy to collective decisions. Based on the review of the relevant literature, a distinctionbecomes evident in what refers to sufficient and/or necessary conditions for political decisionsto be considered by all of those affected as morally acceptable and politically convenient. Itrests clear, therefore, a background disagreement in the degree of importance attributed tocommunication between equals to assure the justification of political authority.