We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jürgen Habermas (18 June 1929 – 14 March 2026), and we extend our most profound condolences to his family and students.
Habermas was one of the most important contemporary thinkers and a paradigmatic “public intellectual” of modern Germany. Situated between the critical Marxist tradition and the European “Enlightenment mentality,” he responded to the institutional dilemmas and normative foundations of modern society through broad and rigorous theoretical construction. From his historical investigation of modern public life to his systematic interpretation of “communicative rationality” and mechanisms of social integration, and extending to his philosophical defense of the democratic rule of law and political legitimacy. His “ultimate concern” was always to explore the normative foundations upon which modern society relies.
At a time when “instrumental rationality” was expanding relentlessly and social systems were becoming increasingly complex, Habermas proposed the theoretical paths of communicative rationality and discourse ethics. He advocated forming consensus through open, equal, and free-from-domination public discussion, thereby rebuilding society’s legitimacy and its structure of trust. His reflections have not only profoundly impacted the development of contemporary social theory, political philosophy, and philosophy of law but have also become a vital intellectual resource for our self-understanding of modern democratic life.
What Habermas safeguarded throughout his life was the possibility of humanity achieving understanding and consensus through rational, “dialogical communication”. This spirit strikes a “sympathetic resonance” with the idea of a “dialogue among civilizations”. The mechanisms of trust and consensus embedded in his communicative rationality echo the quest to build a “fiduciary community”—a society based on trust. His relentless pursuit of public reason perfectly aligns with the ideal of “harmony without uniformity”. Whether it is the Western tradition of public reason or the Eastern pursuit of order grounded in the “unity of Heaven and humanity,” both demonstrate a common aspiration: to seek a shared, peaceful abode for human flourishing amidst our differences and cultural diversity.
Habermas’s contributions went far beyond “abstract conceptualization”; he was actively engaged in public life. His words and deeds conveyed a profound historical consciousness, an innate capacity for sympathy and compassion, and a deeply felt “lived concreteness,” all saturated with genuine humanistic concern. His care was directed not only toward history but also toward the future. His thought will continue to enlighten humanity, exerting a lasting influence on our ongoing process of “mutual learning” and the “dialogue among civilizations”.
The passing of Habermas is a tremendous loss to the global intellectual community. German academia has lost a grand master, and the world has lost an outstanding thinker and public intellectual. We will forever cherish his memory and revere his spirit.
Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies, Peking University, 14 March 2026












