"Habermas: the philosopher of the public sphere": Peter J. Verovšek in conversation with Alexis Papazoglou

Philosophy has always something to say about the ideas behind the biggest events in the news, but philosophy itself is almost never news itself. This is one of those rare exceptions. Jürgen Habermas, who died on March 14 aged 96, was perhaps one of the last great European philosophers of the 20th century. A disciple of Adorno and Horkheimer, Habermas continued the legacy of the Frankfurt School even as he moved critical theory away from some of its most damning critiques of Enlightenment thought. Habermas leaves behind him an enormous philosophical oeuvre, but also a legacy as a public philosopher. His interest in the public sphere was not merely theoretical, but practical – he aimed to intervene in it, not just describe it. In this special episode of The Philosopher & The News we’ll aim to examine the legacy of the philosopher of the public sphere with the help of Peter J. Verovšek, author of a new intellectual biography of Habermas.

Alexis Papazoglou is Managing Editor of the LSE British Politics and Policy blog. He was previously senior editor for the Institute of Arts and Ideas, and a philosophy lecturer at Cambridge and Royal Holloway. He is also host of the podcast, “The Philosopher and the News”.

Peter J. Verovšek is Professor in history and theory of European integration at the University of Groningen. He is the author of Memory and the Future of Europe: Rupture and Integration in the Wake of Total War (2020), and Jürgen Habermas: Public Intellectual and Engaged Critical Theorist (2026).

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