JÜRGEN HABERMAS (1929–2026)
Konstantinos Konstantinidis – Amphiktyon
The great German philosopher and intellectual Jürgen Habermas passed away at the age of 97. He was one of the most important contemporary European thinkers and a representative of the second generation of the Frankfurt School.
He worked in the fields of philosophy, sociology, and political theory. Influenced by the experience of Nazism, he placed at the center of his thought the idea of free communication and democratic dialogue. In his theory of communicative action he argued that societies can progress through free and rational discussion among citizens.
Communicative interaction can take place in the public sphere, that is, within the space of the mass media, universities, and public debate, where citizens form opinions and exercise control over political power.
He was a fervent defender of democracy, human rights, social justice, and European integration.
Among his most important works are:
The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
Knowledge and Human Interests
The Theory of Communicative Action
Between Facts and Norms
His philosophy sought to answer a fundamental question:
How can a modern society remain free and democratic?
His answer was: through free, rational, and public dialogue among citizens.
In the philosophical arena he strongly disagreed with Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida regarding the nature of truth and the role of power. Habermas maintained that without rational communication neither democracy nor a genuine critique of power can exist. In contrast, he viewed their approach as resembling that of modern sophists, distorting free and democratic dialogue.
The philosopher, a child of the interwar period, was compulsorily enrolled in the Hitler Youth—just as the undersigned at that time was enrolled in the youth organization of the EON in Greece—and he emerged from the war with the same traumatic experiences shared by all the children of that era. He was always on the side of the people, against authoritarian violence and war, and in favor of peace.
May his memory be eternal.
Now he travels in the Elysian Fields.
(15 March 2026)
Amphiktyon – Major General (Ret.) Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Writer, Member of the Society of Greek Writers
http://www.amphiktyon.blogspot.com
amphiktyon.org
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