Influential German Philosopher and Social Critic Jürgen Habermas Dies at 96

Berlin. Renowned German philosopher and social critic Jürgen Habermas has passed away at the age of 96. Habermas, considered one of the most influential public intellectuals in post-World War II Germany, his publisher Suhrkamp confirmed the news of his death on Saturday.

Born in Düsseldorf in June 1929, Habermas studied philosophy and earned his doctorate from the University of Marburg. Subsequently, he began teaching and conducting research at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt.

He was considered a leading thinker of the Frankfurt School. This intellectual group developed critical theory, which involved critiquing capitalist society.

Along with Habermas, Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno were also key representatives of this school of thought. In the 1960s, he openly supported the student movement taking place in West German universities. He grew up during Nazi Germany and later actively participated in debates concerning German history, particularly the Holocaust.

Habermas's most influential work is *The Theory of Communicative Action* (1981). In this book, he argued that the stability of society is maintained not only by political or economic power but also by the capacity for rational dialogue and public debate. In the 1990s, he advocated for a unified Europe, stating that European unity was necessary to prevent the resurgence of nationalism.