Philosophical Political Profiles

Jürgen Habermas, 1929 in Düsseldorf geboren, Philosoph und Soziologe, studierte Philosophie, Geschichte und Psychologie in Göttingen, Zürich und Bonn, wo er 1954 promovierte. Von 1956 bis 1959 war er Assistent am Institut für Sozialforschung in Frankfurt am Main und nahm dort wesentliche Impulse der Frankfurter Schule auf. Aus ihrer Tradition hat er die seine weiteren Arbeiten strukturierende Fragestellung entwickelt, wie eine kritische Theorie der Gesellschaft beschaffen zu sein habe, die eine dem erreichten Stand sozialwissenschaftlicher Erkenntnis wie historischer Erfahrung angemessene Theorie der Demokratie darstelle. 1961 habilitierte er in Marburg und wurde auf ein Extraordinariat für Sozialphilosophie nach Heidelberg berufen. 1964 erhielt er eine Professur für Philosophie und Soziologie in Frankfurt am Main. 1971 wurde er, gemeinsam mit Carl-Friedrich von Weizsäcker, Direktor des "Max-Planck-Instituts zur Erforschung der Lebensbedingungen der wissenschaftlich-technischen Welt" in Starnberg. 1982 folgte Habermas dem Ruf nach Frankfurt am Main auf eine Professur für Soziologie und Philosophie. Jürgen Habermas erhielt zahlreiche Ehrendoktorwürden und Preise, darunter den "Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels" (2001), den "Kyoto-Preis" (2004) und den "Heine-Preis" (2012) "... für sein Lebenswerk, das durch freiheitliche Ideen der Aufklärung, seinen unermüdlichen Einsatz für ein demokratisch verfasstes Deutschland sowie seine streitbaren Beiträge zu den gesellschaftspolitischen Debatten Europas geprägt ist", so die Begründung der Jury. 2013 wurde Jürgen Habermas mit dem "Kulturellen Ehrenpreis" der Landeshauptstadt München ausgezeichnet. Außerdem wurde Jürgen Habermas mit dem Erasmus-Preis 2013 ausgezeichnet.

"At the hands of a minor talent, profiles are often flat, two-dimensional outlines of a thinker's intellectual physiognomy. At the hands of a master like Jurgen Habermas, they can become something far more substantial and profound. With astonishing economy, Habermas sketches his impressions of the giants of recent German thought, several of whom were his personal mentors. For those of his readers accustomed to the demandingly abstract level of his theoretical work, the results will prove a welcome surprise. Without sacrificing any of the rigor and brilliance of those longer studies, he displays a remarkable ability to combine depth with brevity. Philosophical-Political Profiles not only adds a new dimension to our understanding of the intellectual odyssey of Germany's leading contemporary thinker but also provides a series of stunning insights into the thought of the generation that preceded him." Martin Jay, University of California, Berkley "With enormous sensitivity, judiciousness, and critical insight, Habermas engages in dialogue with many of the leading German-trained intellectuals of our time-including Heidegger, Jaspers, Lowith, Bloch, Adorno, Benjamin, Marcuse, Arendt, Gadamer, Scholem, and others. These essays range over the most central and vital issues of contemporary life. Whether dealing with Jewish mysticism or critiques of modernity, Habermas is always illuminating and incisive. These essays can serve as an excellent introduction to his thinking. They also help to situate his theoretical work by revealing his deepest concerns." Richard Bernstein, The New School for Social Research

"At the hands of a minor talent, profiles are often flat, two-dimensional outlines of a thinker's intellectual physiognomy. At the hands of a master like Jürgen Habermas, they can become something far more substantial and profound. With astonishing economy, Habermas sketches his impressions of the giants of recent German thought, several of whom were his personal mentors. For those of his readers accustomed to the demandingly abstract level of his theoretical work, the results will prove a welcome surprise. Without sacrificing any of the rigor and brilliance of those longer studies, he displays a remarkable ability to combine depth with brevity. Philosophical-Political Profiles not only adds a new dimension to our understanding of the intellectual odyssey of Germany's leading contemporary thinker but also provides a series of stunning insights into the thought of the generation that preceded him."
Martin Jay, University of California, Berkley
"With enormous sensitivity, judiciousness, and critical insight, Habermas engages in dialogue with many of the leading German-trained intellectuals of our time-including Heidegger, Jaspers, Löwith, Bloch, Adorno, Benjamin, Marcuse, Arendt, Gadamer, Scholem, and others. These essays range over the most central and vital issues of contemporary life. Whether dealing with Jewish mysticism or critiques of modernity, Habermas is always illuminating and incisive. These essays can serve as an excellent introduction to his thinking. They also help to situate his theoretical work by revealing his deepest concerns."
Richard Bernstein, The New School for Social Research