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Habermas

A Biography

Stefan Müller-Doohm author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Published:2nd Sep '16

Should be back in stock very soon

Habermas cover

This biography explores Jürgen Habermas's life and influential ideas, detailing his role as a public intellectual and critic of societal issues.

In Habermas, Stefan Müller-Doohm presents a comprehensive biography of Jürgen Habermas, one of the most significant philosophers and public intellectuals of our time. Celebrated by contemporaries, including Ronald Dworkin, Habermas's influence extends far beyond academia. This biography delves into his political and philosophical awakening in postwar West Germany, exploring the relationships that shaped his thinking, particularly with figures like Adorno and Horkheimer. Müller-Doohm captures the essence of how Habermas's experiences during a time of regained freedom influenced his intellectual trajectory.

The narrative reveals that Habermas is not merely a collection of scholarly works; it highlights his commitment to engaging with pressing societal issues, from the Holocaust's legacy to European integration. His active participation in public discourse illustrates a philosopher dedicated to fostering social and political progress. This biography meticulously documents the evolution of Habermas's ideas, from his early explorations of the public sphere to his later theories on communicative action and cosmopolitanism.

Ultimately, Habermas offers readers a vivid portrait of a thinker who has made profound contributions to philosophy while remaining a steadfast critic of social injustices. As he challenges society to realize its potential for justice and freedom, Müller-Doohm ensures that the legacy of Habermas is both accessible and engaging, making this biography a crucial resource for understanding his enduring impact on contemporary thought.

"This [book] makes for fascinating reading"
The Guardian

"Habermas is a biography of an accomplished living intellectual whose audience is extended much beyond the academic world. Stefan Müller-Doohm is a perfect storyteller and he tells the story of Habermas in such a way that you will not be able to put it down before you finish it. Nobody knows the art of biography better than Müller-Doohm."
The Washington Book Review

"Few would contest the verdict that Habermas has achieved—in both his philosophical work and in his role as a public intellectual—a place of enduring significance that surpasses that of any other thinker in our time. The definitive new biography by Stefan Müller-Doohm… lays out the evidence for this conclusion with great care and enormous sympathy for its protagonist."
The Nation

"Heidegger’s lapidary biographical summation, “The man was born, he worked, and then died,” may have been appropriate for Aristotle, but is woefully inadequate for the philosopher who is arguably our era’s version of the great Greek polymath, Jürgen Habermas. For not only is he still very much alive and producing new work at a vigorous pace, but it is also the case that his voluminous contributions to philosophy, sociology, political theory, and cultural criticism demand to be read in the context of his remarkable career as a committed public intellectual. As his masterful biography of Adorno already demonstrated, Stefan Müller-Doohm shows himself to be fully up to the task of discerning figures in the intricately woven carpet of a major thinker’s life and work."
Martin Jay, University of California Berkeley

"Habermas was and is an exemplary intellectual… he was a Berliner, soberly mindful of the weight of the old world, hopeful for the prospects of the new. This book is a monument to this challenge, and to his commitment."
The Australian

ISBN: 9780745689067

Dimensions: 231mm x 163mm x 61mm

Weight: 1111g

456 pages