As a result of the revolutions in Eastern Europe and the collapse of Communism, the idea of Civil Society has been revived and is now at the centre of political discussion. It is generally agreed that building genuine civil societies is the only true means of furthering the cause of democracy and human rights. It is also widely agreed that only the insititutions of civil society are capable of reconciling the sometimes conflicting demands of individial liberties and the common good. This book is one of the first studies of its kind, and provides a systematic analysis of the multi-faceted notion of civil society. It shows in detail how the three main orders of civil society - the moral-cultural, the political, and the economic - constitute 'spheres of autonomy'. At the same time, it illustrates how these different orders are closely interrelated and interact in a synergetic manner. A unique feature of this study is the way in which the author demonstrates how the logic of the various orders of civil society is, in a way appropriate to the distinct nature of each order, a logic of communicative rationality. The work concludes by arguing that the only sure way of achieving international justice is by the construction of civil society world-wide.