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Jürgen Habermas

ユルゲン・ハーバーマス

juergen habermas

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1929-06-18 （Düsseldorf, Rhine Province, Free State of Prussia, Weimar Germany）
Nationality
Germany
Languages
German, English (used in academic work)
Religion
Protestant (upbringing)

Career

Occupations
philosopher, social theorist, public intellectual, academic
Active Years
1954-
Affiliations
University of Marburg, University of Heidelberg, University of Frankfurt am Main (including Max Planck Institute affiliation), Northwestern University (visiting)
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Foreign Honorary Member), Max Planck Society (affiliation)
Influenced By
Immanuel Kant, Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, Max Weber, Edmund Husserl, Ludwig Wittgenstein, John Dewey
Influenced
Axel Honneth, Hans Joas, Claus Offe, Zoran Đinđić, Thomas A. McCarthy

Education

University of Göttingen
Period: 1949–1950
Country: Germany
University of Zurich
Period: 1950–1951
Country: Switzerland
University of Bonn
Philosophy
Degree: Ph.D.
Period: 1951–1954
Year of Graduation: 1954
Country: Germany
Doctoral dissertation: Das Absolute und die Geschichte
University of Marburg
Political Science (habilitation)
Degree: Dr. phil. habil.
Period: 1956–1961
Year of Graduation: 1961
Country: Germany
Habilitation: Strukturwandel der Öffentlichkeit

Awards

Hegel Prize
1974
Organization: City of Stuttgart (Hegel Prize committee)
Result: 受賞
Sigmund Freud Prize
1976
Result: 受賞
Theodor W. Adorno Award
1980
Result: 受賞
Geschwister-Scholl-Preis
1985
Work: Die neue Unübersichtlichkeit
Result: 受賞
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
1986
Organization: German Research Foundation (DFG)
Result: 受賞
Sonning Prize
1987
Category: European culture
Organization: Denmark (Sonning Foundation)
Result: 受賞
Prince of Asturias Award (Social Sciences)
2003
Category: 社会科学
Organization: Prince of Asturias Foundation
Result: 受賞
Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy
2004
Category: Arts and Philosophy
Organization: Inamori Foundation (Kyoto Prize)
Result: 受賞
Holberg International Memorial Prize
2005
Organization: Holberg Prize organization
Result: 受賞
Erasmus Prize
2013
Organization: Netherlands (Erasmus Prize committee)
Result: 受賞
Kluge Prize
2015
Organization: Library of Congress / Kluge Prize
Result: 受賞（共同受賞: Charles Taylor と）
Sheikh Zayed Book Award
2021
Organization: UAE (Sheikh Zayed Book Award organization)
Result: 辞退
Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science
2024
Category: 政治学
Organization: Skytte Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere

1962 sociology / political philosophy

A study of the emergence and transformation of the bourgeois public sphere since the 18th century, analyzing factors that led to its decline such as mass media commercialization and welfare-state development.

public spherecivil societycommercialization and massification

The Theory of Communicative Action

1981 social theory / philosophy

A major theoretical work developing communicative rationality, distinguishing lifeworld and system, and critiquing the processes of social rationalization while arguing for possibilities of emancipation.

communicationrationalitylifeworld vs. system

Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy

1992 philosophy of law / political theory

Connects discourse ethics with legal theory to discuss justification and application in law and democratic practice.

law and legitimacydemocracydiscourse ethics

Bibliography

  • Das Absolute and the History (doctoral dissertation, 1954)
  • The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (1962)
  • The Theory of Communicative Action (1981)
  • Between Facts and Norms (1992)
  • Between Naturalism and Religion (2005)
  • This Too a History of Philosophy (3 volumes, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly and theoreticalargumentativedialogical / discourse-theoretical approach
Recurring Motifs
communicationpublic sphererationality and emancipationlifeworld vs system

Health

  • cleft palate (congenital)
    幼少期
    Underwent corrective surgery in childhood; Habermas has said the speech disability influenced his thinking about dependence and communication.

Legacy

Through his work on the public sphere and communicative theory, Habermas has had a profound impact on contemporary social theory and political philosophy. His discourse ethics and deliberative democracy remain internationally influential.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Foreign Honorary Member)

Quotes

  • For the normative self-understanding of modernity, Christianity has functioned as more than just a precursor or catalyst. The legacy of egalitarian universalism — freedom, human rights and democracy — springs directly from the Judaic ethic of justice and the Christian ethic of love.
    Source: Zeit der Übergänge (Time of Transitions) (2001) (2001)

Trivia

  • Underwent corrective surgery for a cleft palate in childhood.
  • As a youth he served as a Jungvolk leader (a section of the Hitler Youth).
  • Declined the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2021 citing concerns about the UAE's political system.