University President Enrico Schleiff on Jürgen Habermas
On March 14, 2026, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Jürgen Habermas passed away at the age of 96 at his home in Starnberg. Goethe University mourns the loss of its most influential philosopher and one of the most important instructors in its history.
After earning his doctorate in philosophy in Bonn, Jürgen Habermas first came to Frankfurt in the 1950s to work with Theodor W. Adorno at the Institute for Social Research. He later completed his habilitation in Marburg and held a professorship in Heidelberg before being appointed as Max Horkheimer’s successor to the professorship for philosophy and sociology at Goethe University Frankfurt. In 1971, he became co-director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of the Scientific-Technical World in Starnberg, but he remained closely connected to Goethe University during this time as an honorary professor and through ongoing dialogue with researchers and students. From 1983 until his retirement in 1994, he returned to Goethe University where he continued to teach and conduct research as a full professor.
During these years, Habermas emerged as a leading figure of Critical Theory, whose influence reached far beyond Frankfurt. Even after his retirement, he maintained a strong connection to Goethe University – as the founder of an award for outstanding academic theses, a key voice in the Cluster of Excellence “The Formation of Normative Orders,” and as an active participant in the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften Institute of Advanced Studies. He was also a dedicated discussion partner for students and colleagues. Habermas celebrated both his 80th and 90th birthdays with lectures and discussions on Westend Campus – an impressive testament to his deep bond with “his” university, which he considered a unique place of freedom and an internationally renowned institution.
Public Intellectual
Jürgen Habermas was not only an outstanding researcher and an approachable, though at times provocative, instructor, but also a public intellectual of the highest caliber. His contributions to key sociopolitical debates testify to his unwavering commitment to democracy and the rule of law. Whether during the conflicts surrounding the student movement of the 1960s or the Historikerstreit of the 1980s, he consistently stood against oversimplified or reactionary interpretations and championed the principles of an open, pluralistic society. [Editor’s note: The Historikerstreit was a fierce 1980s West German debate over whether the Holocaust was historically unique and how Germany should balance responsibility for Nazi crimes with the desire for a democratic national identity.] Honors such as the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade and the Adorno Prize recognized this commitment.
Jürgen Habermas continued to advocate with remarkable clarity and determination for the universal validity of human rights until the very end. He issued urgent warnings about the threats to the international legal order that has developed since 1945, called for deeper political integration in Europe, and strongly opposed the resurgence of nationalist tendencies. His work was driven by the normative conviction that the power of understanding inherent in language is stronger than violence and must be transformed into reasonable, legally binding statutes.
With the passing of Jürgen Habermas, we lose a great scholar, colleague, and friend. His work and ideas will continue to shape Goethe University far beyond his lifetime. The perspectives he developed on public reason and societal order remain guiding principles for research and teaching. The faculties and institutes of our university – including those within the Rhine-Main Universities alliance – will continue and further develop this legacy responsibly and in the spirit of his thinking.
His death marks the end of a defining era in our university’s history. Yet the tradition of critical thinking, which Jürgen Habermas embodied like few others, does not come to an end at Goethe University. It remains both a responsibility and a commitment. We will carry this legacy forward responsibly, supported by his estate preserved in our library, which will continue to serve as a vibrant source of scholarly reflection and inspiration.
