Jürgen Habermas is a German philosopher and sociologist. Since 1964 he has been a professor in Frankfurt am Main. He became the greatest philosopher of our time thanks to his openness and keen interest in the problem of resolving conflicts without violence. Fame came to Jurgen Habermas after a series of his open speeches against the famous philosophers of his time.
Childhood
Born in an era of political tension (June 18, 1929) in the small town of Düsseldorf, Jurgen Habermas became one of those German children who were subjected to serious propaganda to join the Hitler Youth. Many sources state that Habermas was a member of this Nazi organization. In 2006, a big scandal erupted around this topic involving popular German publications.
The well-known historian Franz Ulrich Wöhler denied this information, referring to the fact that Jürgen had a developmental defect from birth - a cleft lip. Jürgen Habermas himself, whose photo perfectly demonstrates this, tried his best to avoid such conversations. In this regard, he could not join an organization that selectedthe ranks of only "perfect Aryans". However, there is an opinion that the future philosopher at the age of 14 taught emergency medical care among members of the Hitler Youth.
The famous philosopher Jürgen Habermas, whose biography had an interesting influence on his scientific outlook, began to be interested in politics and human relations in his school years.
Establishment of scientific interests
Jürgen's school years were spent at the Gummersbach Gymnasium. Here, the youth greeted every message about the advance of German troops to the east with enthusiastic applause. Formerly a provincial town, during the war, it became an industrial center. Workers were brought here - captives from the countries of conquered Europe. It was in this atmosphere that Jurgen's personality was formed.
After graduating from high school, he intensively began to study philosophy, psychology, sociology and history. Jurgen studied at the universities of Zurich, Göttingen and Bonn. After completing his studies, he wanted to try himself as a journalist. Habermas worked as a freelancer for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Handelsblatt. Fame came to him at the age of 24, after the collapse of criticism on the titan of German philosophy of those years, Martin Heidegger. Jürgen openly accused Martin of promoting Nazism.
In the process of a long rethinking of modern reality, Habermas began to form the idea of the communicative aspect of the conflict. He believes that making a rational decision in the processcommunication is possible thanks to discourse - this is the name of the process of understanding people who have common life principles.
The work of Jürgen Habermas
The starting points of the sociological theory of Habermas are 2 concepts:
- Life world - all social relations (family, friends, work) exist in it. It corresponds to communicative rationality.
- System world - represents an anonymous and business relationship. It corresponds to instrumental rationality.
One of the main works of Habermas is the "Theory of Communicative Action", which develops the original concept of society.
Of particular interest is the German philosopher's idea of interaction in modern society. Jurgen Habermas distinguishes all actions into communicative (which are designed to ensure mutual understanding) and formal (aimed at results).
Philosophical Discourse on Modernity is a book that includes 12 lectures by Jurgen Habermas, which he delivered at a number of European universities. It was first published in 1985. Then it was a great success and caused a strong resonance in intellectual circles. To this day, the book has not lost its relevance. In the work, Habermas discusses the problems of modernity, linking together the opinions of supporters and opponents of postmodern culture.
What is interesting for modern political scientists and sociologists Jurgen Habermas? A biography that briefly describes his social activities allows us to trace the process of the formation of the ideas of neo-Marxism.
Teaching and research
From 1964 to 1994, Jurgen Habermas headed the Department of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Frankfurt am Main. His appearance became a sensation for student youth. They immediately fell in love with the ideology of the truth-seeking critic. During this period, Hambermas becomes one of the main representatives of the second generation of neo-Marxist theorists. However, the interest of students in the famous philosopher disappeared after the latter severely criticized the actions of one of the leaders of the theorists of the "left" Rudy Dutschke.
It happens as follows. In 1967, the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Rosa Pakhlevin, arrived in Berlin. Western European students are protesting against the mores of this country. Subsequently, the rally turns into riots and clashes with the police, as a result of which student Benno Ohnesorg dies. Habermas openly states that Dutschke is a left-wing fascist and provokes police violence.
In the 1970s, Jurgen carried out a research program along the lines of the German Social Democratic Party. In 1994, the philosopher retired.
Jurgen Habermas quotes
Jurgen Habermas's ideology is based on increasing the rationality of human communication. Regarding the state structure, the philosopher says that the welfare state is the result of the peaceful coexistence of capitalism and democracy.
Jurgen strives to make human relationships more productive. He believes that reason is given to man in order to convey unreasonable things to him. Interesting opinion of the philosopherabout feelings of guilt. “It is an indicator of betrayal of duty and accompanies a split of the will.”
Criticism of Jurgen Habermas
Opponents of Habermas' theory of communicative action have criticized him that his ideal situation of consensus, non-violent contract is too far from modernity. In the context of human cruelty and irrationality, such methods of communication are useless.
For example, J. Meehan in the preface of the collection “Feminists Read Habermas” writes the following: for all the creative power of this philosophy, saturated with liberalism and the desire to protect human rights, it still remains deeply masculine. This, according to Meehan, means the absence of attempts to understand gender issues in the philosophy of Habermas.
Private life
Even while studying at the university, Jürgen meets his future wife. With her, he shared a deep political disillusionment with the regime that reigned in those days in Germany. Currently, Habermas is engaged in scientific activities.
The political views of Jurgen Habermas are aimed at creating the concept of social evolution. Her philosopher sees in the development of cognitive and productive abilities of a person. The works of the great scientist have become one of the most cited sources for students of philosophy and sociology.
In modern conflictology, the ideas of Habermas have become fundamental for creating productive models for resolving political and social disputes.
