Therefore, they attempt to convince each other that there are inherently good reasons to pursue one course of action over another. It must be a structure that is immunized in a special way against repression and inequality. All are governed by the rules of equality, freedom, and fair play. All are directed at mutual understanding through the power of reasoned argument. However, only moral discourse sets itself the high standard of rational consensus.
Democratic deliberation entails all three types of discourse.
The more the issue under public discussion involves deep foundational issues of justice the more important consensus becomes. However, the rationality of public opinion and will formation in general does not depend on citizens reaching a rational consensus on all issues. A discursively formed public opinion can represent a process of Bildung or education in which citizens build better foundations to their opinions through discursive interaction. The result of such interaction that public opinion and the exercise of democratic responsibility are embedded in reasoned convictions, although reasoned convictions do not always need to reflect a consensus on an issue. Questions of legitimacy, on the other hand, are also questions of justice and on these issues consensus is still to be aimed at.