LOS PAPELES PERIóDICOS Y EL ESPACIO PúBLICO En torno a la legitimidad de las funciones cognitivas del espacio público*

taking into account the critical analysis of the first scientific magazines written in spanish during the so-called "república de las letras", the author explores the progressive constitution of the written press as an ideal public space to express opinion and thought. the study analyzes the formation of the abovementioned public space from a point of view of its dimension as both a cognitive and juridical agent. in this article, the contradictions, paradoxes and limitations of this double dimension are explored. the two dimensions, namely the cognitive and juridical, are examined in the context of public opinion for both the civil and scientific society.