Secretary-General Deeply Saddened by Death of Jürgen Habermas, Praises Philosopher as ‘True Public Intellectual’

The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:

I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jürgen Habermas, a giant of philosophy and true public intellectual.

No philosopher influenced my own thinking throughout my life in politics as much as Jürgen Habermas.

His contributions across political-legal thought, sociology, communication studies, argumentation theory, language and rhetoric informed and shaped our understanding of the nature and value of democratic societies.

I was particularly struck by his ideas on the distinguishing feature of a modern democracy as the permanent interflow of communication between political decision makers and civil societies.

Today more than ever, we need this constant interaction - this two-way street between politics and people - to better understand the challenges we face, and to forge effective solutions.

I offer my deepest condolences to the Habermas family and everyone who was influenced by his thinking and inspired by his moral clarity.