Jürgen Habermas
(born: 18.06.1929 in Düsseldorf), Philosopher, Sociologist
Jürgen Habermas is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers of the modern era and has been actively involved in public debates. He belongs to the second generation of the Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School. As a student of Philosophy, History, Psychology, German Literature and Economics in Göttingen, Zurich and Bonn, he wrote articles for various newspapers and magazines. He continued working as a freelance journalist after completing his doctorate. In 1962, his formative post-doctoral thesis The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere was published. His main work is considered to be The Theory of Communicative Action published in 1981. Jürgen Habermas most recently taught as a Professor of Philosophy at the university in Frankfurt am Main. In recognition of his wide-ranging work and his engagement with democracy and the public conscience he has received numerous awards including the Theodor W. Adorno Prize, the Geschwister-Scholl Prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade and the Kyoto Prize.