One of Germany’s most influential postwar philosophers, Jürgen Habermas, has died at 96, his publisher Suhrkamp confirmed.
Habermas was a leading voice of the Frankfurt School, known for refining Critical Theory-analyzing power, ideology, and societal structures. His seminal work, Theory of Communicative Action (1981), redefined discourse ethics and rationality.
Born in Düsseldorf in 1929, Habermas joined the Hitler Youth as a youth but was profoundly shaped by the collapse of Nazism at age 15. He later described the Nazi regime as 'politically criminal.'
He remained engaged with political discourse into old age, critiquing both radicalism and authoritarianism. Though initially wary of the 1960s left-wing student movement, he acknowledged its role in liberalizing German society.
A cleft palate from birth influenced his deep interest in language and communication-a foundation of his philosophical legacy.
His wife, Ute Habermas-Wesselhoeft, died last year. They had three children: Tilmann, Judith, and Rebekka, who passed in 2023.