Former German chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) paid tribute to the late philosopher Jürgen Habermas, whom he described as a formative intellectual whose ideas profoundly shaped his own political thinking.
In a deeply personal obituary for the magazine “Stern”, Scholz wrote that Habermas’s death marked the loss of an intellectual and moral reference point that, for him, had repeatedly helped organize his thoughts about his own time, his country, Europe and the world throughout his political career.
Scholz recalled that during his secondary school years a teacher encouraged him to read Habermas’s study on “the structural transformation of public life”. The book’s seminal insights had an enduring influence on him, fostering a core conviction that underpins his political life: the rational deliberation of a democratic society must be capable of deciding its goals and means. For this, citizens must continually debate the proper path, value reason and arguments, and ultimately accept the decisions reached.
He noted that when he ran for chancellor in 2021 and 2025, he had made a central theme of his campaigns explicit, drawing on Habermas’s ideas. According to Scholz, a successful democracy requires that citizens, despite their differences, recognize each other as fundamentally equal. “Only if we organize our country so that no one looks down on others because they are less educated, less wealthy, or less ‘successful,’ will our democracy endure” he said.
Scholz concluded that for those who hold the values of reason, enlightenment and democracy dear, Habermas’s work will remain an indispensable compass for many decades to come. “I am certain: I will not be the only one who will miss him” he added.
