The relations between democracy and justice in contemporary political theory are examined. The shortcomings of the competitive tradition of democracy on this score are brought out, and it is argued that we need an "epistemic" conception of deliberative democracy, according to which an independent criterion of political legitimacy should be employed in evaluating the outcomes of deliberative procedures. The limits of such an epistemic conception, particularly with reference to political conflict and competition, are discussed.
political theory; deliberative democracy; justice