The rationality of understanding

For Jürgen Habermas, reasoned dialogue is one of the basic prerequisites for a functioning democracy. On the occasion of the intellectual's 90th birthday, Oldenburg Habermas biographer Stefan Müller-Doohm looks back on his work.

When Jürgen Habermas celebrates his 90th birthday on 18 June 2019, the emeritus professor from Starnberg will be able to look back on a philosophical and sociological oeuvre that includes 60 book titles, which have been translated into almost all world languages and have brought him a transnational echo. All the more so as two new volumes on the subject of faith and knowledge have been announced for the autumn. This echo, which is documented in a volume entitled "Habermas Global", published at the same time and featuring 40 authors from 20 countries, is due not least to the philosopher and sociologist's interdisciplinary way of thinking. His aim is to contribute to the comprehensive human scientific task of rationally explaining ourselves and the world. His perceptive diagnoses of the times apply to the future problems of this globe, which knows no boundaries for ecological, military and economic risks.

Respect for democratic rules of the game

What we can learn from Habermas, especially from a political perspective, is the concept of a controversial democracy embedded in civil society, which thrives on the spirit of communication and argumentation. He sees current dangers for the state of democracy in the unilateral America First policy of the American president and the backward-looking ideologies of a new nationalism and right-wing populism. With his critical commitment, Habermas advocates respect for democratic rules and the general recognition of the rule of law and the welfare state, including universal human rights.

From a philosophical point of view, Habermas shows that reason, which has often been declared dead, does exist. It unfolds in the communicative use of language and is embedded in argumentative speech. The discourse ethics he developed offers a model for how agreement can be reached free of constraints on issues that have become contentious.

"World civil society without world government"

Not only as a theorist, but also through his interventions as a leading intellectual in the public forum, Habermas has for decades been in favour of demonstrating the benefits of the public use of reason. He has not hesitated to intervene in political debates, such as recently with his plea for a common European asylum policy, his plea for a learning behaviour towards the content of religious traditions or his plea for the political expansion of the European Union into a transnational democracy supported by the citizens of the countries. It is not only a counterweight to the dynamics of globalised markets, but also a step towards the utopian goal that he describes as the future "world civil society without world government".

Guest article: Prof Dr Stefan Müller-Doohm