Jürgen Habermas

Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas
	Habermas in 2008
Born	Jürgen Habermas; 18 June 1929; Düsseldorf, Rhine Province, Prussia, Germany
Died	14 March 2026 (aged 96); Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany
Spouse	Ute Wesselhöft (m. 1955; died 2025)
Children	3, including Rebekka Habermas
Education
Education	University of Göttingen; University of Zurich; University of Bonn (PhD)
Doctoral advisor	Erich Rothacker
Other advisors	Theodor W. Adorno; Max Horkheimer;
Philosophical work
Era	Contemporary philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Continental philosophy; Frankfurt School; Neopragmatism;
Institutions	University of Heidelberg; Goethe University Frankfurt; Max Planck Society; Northwestern University;
Doctoral students	Zoran Đinđić; Rainer Forst; Hans-Hermann Hoppe; Hans-Herbert Kögler; Cristina Lafont; Konrad Ott;
Main interests	Epistemology; Critical social theory; Political theory; Philosophy of law; Rationalization; Pragmatics; Pragmatism;
Notable works	The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (1962); The Theory of Communicative Action (1981);
Notable ideas	Communicative action; Communicative rationality; Constitutional patriotism; Discourse ethics; Ideal speech situation; Performative contradiction; System–lifeworld distinction; Structural transformation of the public sphere; Universal pragmatics;
Signature

Jürgen Habermas (18 June 1929 – 14 March 2026) was a German philosopher and social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addressed communicative rationality and the public sphere.

Associated with the Frankfurt School, Habermas's work focused on the foundations of epistemology and social theory, the analysis of advanced capitalism and democracy, the rule of law in a critical social-evolutionary context, albeit within the confines of the natural law tradition, and contemporary politics, particularly German politics. Habermas's theoretical system is devoted to revealing the possibility of reason, emancipation, and rational-critical communication latent in modern institutions and in the human capacity to deliberate and pursue rational interests. Habermas was known for his work on the phenomenon of modernity, particularly with respect to the discussions of rationalization originally set forth by Max Weber. He was influenced by American pragmatism, action theory, and poststructuralism.