German philosopher Jürgen Habermas passes away

Jürgen Habermas, one of post-war Germany’s most influential philosophers and public intellectuals, has passed away at the age of 96, his publisher 'Suhrkamp Verlag' confirmed on Saturday (March 14).

Born in June 1929 in Düsseldorf, Germany, Habermas was the son of a local chamber of commerce head who joined the Nazi Party in 1933. Though enrolled in the Hitler Youth as a child, he was too young to serve in World War II.

After the war, Habermas pursued studies in philosophy, earning a doctorate from University of Marburg. He later joined the Institute of Social Research at University of Frankfurt and began teaching philosophy and sociology there in the 1960s, openly supporting student movements across West German universities.

Habermas was a leading figure of the Frankfurt School, alongside Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno. The school is best known for its “critical theory,” which critiques capitalist society for turning active citizens into passive consumers rather than promoting genuine freedom.

He was also critical of the commercialisation of mass media and culture, arguing that it undermines critical public discourse.

In the 1980s, Habermas engaged in a heated debate with conservative historians over the Holocaust, challenging views that framed it solely as a German national event. He also criticised the rapid reunification of East and West Germany in 1989–90, warning it could revive nationalism and advocating for a slower, more deliberate process.

During the 1990s, he strongly supported a united Europe, seeing it as the most effective way to prevent the resurgence of nationalist competition.

His most influential work, The Theory of Communicative Action (1981), emphasised that human societies survive not only through political or economic power but through reasoned, communicative dialogue.

Habermas was born with a cleft palate, undergoing multiple surgeries in childhood. He later noted that this experience profoundly shaped his thinking about language, communication, and human interaction.