In the diagnostic essays and interviews of this anthology, whose title quickly became a catchphrase, Jürgen Habermas addresses current issues, starting with the rise of neoconservatism in the intellectual and political life of the USA and the Federal Republic, through the crisis of the welfare state and the exhaustion of utopian energies, to the present intellectual climate in the Federal Republic. The volume, which was awarded the Geschwister-Scholl Prize shortly after its publication, not only provides an excellent overview of Habermas' entire body of work to date but also clarifies the motives behind his work.