Habermas e Ratzinger , debate
The darling of the 68ers and Benedict XVI find a surprising amount to agree on. Left-wing German philosopher Jürgen Habermas treats religio n with respect. On 19th January last year, two old men came to the Catholic Academy of Bavaria to debate the imposing-looking topic: “Pre-political moral foundations of the liberal state.” Both are German; both grew up under the third reich; both went on to achieve distinction in their respective fields. But here the resemblance ends. Jürgen Habermas is a leftist philosopher and advocate of “democratically enlightened common sense.” His championship of untrammelled debate as the foundation of political legitimacy has inspired radicals across the world. His antagonist, Cardinal Ratzinger, came to prominence as an enforcer of doctrinal orthodoxy throughout the Catholic church. He is now Pope Benedict XVI. Here, then, were the makings of an epic duel, worthy to stand alongside Luther’s famous confrontation with Zwingli...