On the morning of March 14, 2026, Jürgen Habermas passed away at his home in Starnberg. Goethe University mourns the loss of a distinguished colleague who served the university from 1964 to 1971 as successor to Max Horkheimer in the Chair of Philosophy and Sociology. After his tenure as director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of the Scientific-Technical World in Starnberg, Jürgen Habermas returned to Goethe University in 1983 and remained Professor of Philosophy until his retirement in 1994.
With the passing of Jürgen Habermas, Goethe University loses one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and the foremost representative of Critical Theory, a tradition rightly associated with Frankfurt and known around the world as the Frankfurt School. At the same time, he was the most influential public intellectual in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany – an unmistakable voice in national debate whose impact continued after German reunification in 1990 and resonated far beyond Germany’s borders.
His work on communicative reason, on the philosophical foundations of freedom and social justice, on the normative foundations and institutionalization of law, and on the place of religion in secular, pluralistic societies has shaped scholarly debates around the world. These conversations remain alive at Goethe University Frankfurt to this day. The groundbreaking scholarship of Jürgen Habermas – together with his personal presence at the university and the close intellectual relationships he maintained with many members of its academic community – extends far beyond the lifetime of this extraordinary scholar and teacher. His legacy will continue to shape research and teaching at Goethe University Frankfurt and across the Rhine-Main Universities alliance for years to come.
Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff
President of Goethe University Frankfurt
Frankfurt, March 14, 2026
