Habermas’ lessons for the crisis of democracy

FRANKFURT. “No one is free until we are all free” – this phrase by Jürgen Habermas set the theme for a symposium held on Friday in honor of the philosopher and sociologist, who passed away in March. Leading scholars from around the world gathered to reflect on Habermas’ intellectual legacy and discuss the future of Critical Theory. The event was organized by Goethe University’s Normative Orders Research Centre in cooperation with Suhrkamp Publishing House. It complemented the memorial service held earlier that day at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche, organized by the City of Frankfurt together with Goethe University and Suhrkamp. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered the keynote address.

“Today, we remember Jürgen Habermas with deep respect as a philosopher who stood for freedom, human dignity and democratic values,” said Timon Gremmels, Hessian Minister for Science and Research, Arts and Culture. “His courage inspires us to critically examine the present with historical insight and take action. Throughout his life, Habermas reminded us that democratic legitimacy grows out of public debate – through the exchange of arguments, disagreement and mutual understanding within an open public sphere in which everyone can participate. At a time when authoritarian movements are gaining influence around the world, this idea is more relevant than ever. Democracy is not sustained by elections alone. It depends on participation, responsibility and the protection of fundamental rights, and it must be renewed every day. Habermas’ legacy reminds us that democratic achievements can never be taken for granted but must be actively defended and brought to life again every single day.”

“In the finest tradition of critical thought, Jürgen Habermas preserved the legacy of the Frankfurt School while at the same time taking it in a new direction,” says Goethe University President Prof. Enrico Schleiff. “Through his tireless commitment, he helped make Goethe University a beacon of critical thought, always guided by the pursuit of democratic dialogue. We are deeply grateful to Habermas for his lifelong dedication to a form of critical scholarship that lives up to its social responsibility by advocating for a democratic society in which communicative reason takes precedence. We call on political decision-makers to provide universities with the resources they need and to strengthen the freedom of research and teaching. Only then will universities – and our institution in particular, where Habermas studied, taught, and made a decisive contribution to the development of Critical Theory – be able to carry forward his intellectual legacy and, in his spirit, help defend democracy and reason against their enemies.”

“On March 14, 2026, the humanities and social sciences, and the tradition of Critical Theory, lost one of their most distinguished representatives,” said Rainer Forst, Professor of Political Theory and Philosophy at Goethe University Frankfurt, a former student of Habermas and co-director of the Normative Orders Research Centre together with Prof. Nicole Deitelhoff. “Over the course of several decades, Jürgen Habermas shaped virtually every major theoretical debate of his time and inspired generations of scholars – any one of his major works alone would have been enough to secure his place among the world’s leading intellectuals. His discourse ethics remains a landmark achievement because it places the public use of reason at the center.”

Toward the end of his life, Jürgen Habermas came to see democracy as being in profound crisis. In one of his final interviews, he argued that its erosion had accelerated “since politics has more or less abdicated in favor of the markets.” Against this backdrop, leading scholars from across the social sciences and humanities explored how a democracy grounded in communicative reason can be preserved in an era marked by the rise of the political right, technological transformation and growing social inequality. The first panel took a critical look at the rise of authoritarianism, which continues to threaten democracies around the world. Political scientists Simone Chambers and Michael Zürn discussed these developments with historian Peter Gordon. The second panel focused on the communicative turn through which Habermas redirected both philosophy and sociology onto new paths. Political philosopher Seyla Benhabib, sociologist Hauke Brunkhorst and social psychologist Vera King examined the significance and enduring impact of this paradigm shift. The symposium concluded with a keynote lecture by social philosopher Axel Honneth. Entitled “The Normative Irreducibility of the Other: Habermas in Dialogue with Adorno,” it explored the question of what unites the thought of Jürgen Habermas and Theodor W. Adorno.

The event was organized and moderated by Rainer Forst and Klaus Günther (Goethe University Frankfurt) together with Peter Niesen (University of Hamburg).