German philosopher and sociologist Jürgen Habermas (b. 1929) ranks among the most seminal living thinkers in the world. A scion of the Frankfurt School (of critical theory), from which he has since distanced himself, Habermas has produced a vast oeuvre ranging from sociopolitical theory and the philosophy of religion to epistemology and aesthetics. Jürgen Habermas has had a profound influence not only on philosophy, sociology and communication science, but also on political thought in our day. He has taken a stance in all the major theoretical debates in Germany and regularly comments on important political controversies in his articles in the German press, including the weekly Die Zeit.