Philosophical-Political Profiles

"At the hands of a minor talent, profiles are often flat, two-dimensional outlines of a thinker’s intellectual physiognomy. At the hands of a master like Jürgen Habermas, they can become something far more substantial and profound. With astonishing economy, Habermas sketches his impressions of the giants of recent German thought, several of whom were his personal mentors. For those of his readers accustomed to the demandingly abstract level of his theoretical work, the results will prove a welcome surprise. Without sacrificing any of the rigor and brilliance of those longer studies, he displays a remarkable ability to combine depth with brevity. Philosophical-Political Profiles not only adds a new dimension to our understanding of the intellectual odyssey of Germany’s leading contemporary thinker but also provides a series of stunning insights into the thought of the generation that preceded him."
Martin Jay, University of California, Berkley

"With enormous sensitivity, judiciousness, and critical insight, Habermas engages in dialogue with many of the leading German-trained intellectuals of our time-including Heidegger, Jaspers, Löwith, Bloch, Adorno, Benjamin, Marcuse, Arendt, Gadamer, Scholem, and others. These essays range over the most central and vital issues of contemporary life. Whether dealing with Jewish mysticism or critiques of modernity, Habermas is always illuminating and incisive. These essays can serve as an excellent introduction to his thinking. They also help to situate his theoretical work by revealing his deepest concerns."
Richard Bernstein, The New School for Social Research Translator's Introduction

Notes

Does Philosophy Still Have a Purpose? (1971)

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The German Idealism of the Jewish Philosophers (1961)

Karl Jaspers: The Figures of Truth (1958)

Martin Heidegger: The Great Influence (1959)

Ernst Bloch: A Marxist Schelling (1960)

Resistances to Utopia, Literary and Psychological

The Heritage of Jewish Mysticism

Matter as World Soul and Technology without Violence

The Extravagance of Utopia and the Melancholy of Fulfillment

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Karl Löwith: Stoic Retreat from Historical Consciousness (1963)

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5. Deploying Power in the Political SystemCommunicative Engendering of Power-a Variation

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Hans-Georg Gadamer: Urbanizing the Heideggerian Province (1979)

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Gershom Scholem: The Torah in Disguise (1978)

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Jürgen Habermas is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt and one of the most influential social and political thinkers in the world today.