politics

March 18, 2026

The Guardian view on the legacy of Jürgen Habermas: philosophical sustenance for illiberal times

In an age of demagogues and big tech, the work of one of Germany’s greatest scholars points the way to a new politics of the human

The Guardian view on the legacy of Jürgen Habermas: philosophical sustenance for illiberal times

TL;DR

  • Jürgen Habermas, a philosopher committed to European Union ideals, has died at 96.
  • He was a significant postwar intellectual who philosophically grounded democratic values.
  • His 'Theory of Communicative Action' highlighted reason and consensus as central to human nature.
  • The concept of the public sphere, where rational debate can occur, is a key part of his legacy.
  • Habermas was also critical of social media's distortion of communication and big tech's influence.
  • A debate with Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) highlighted shared values of human worth.

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