Hans Albert

The German sociologist, philosopher, and philosopher of science Hans Albert passed away on October 24, 2023, at the age of 102. Born on February 8, 1921, in Cologne, the son of a high school teacher of Latin and history, he studied business administration at the University of Cologne, where he also earned his doctorate with a dissertation on critical economic sociology and completed his habilitation in social policy. From 1963 to 1989, he held a chair in sociology and philosophy of science at the University of Mannheim, succeeding Eduard Baumgarten, a nephew of Max Weber.

Alongside Karl Popper, Hans Albert is considered one of the most important representatives of critical rationalism. One of his central contributions to this field is what he termed the “Münchhausen trilemma,” which offers a critique of classical reasoning. He gained international recognition primarily through the so-called “positivism debate,” in which the critical rationalists Karl Popper and Hans Albert engaged in a debate with the two representatives of Critical Theory, Theodor W. Adorno and Jürgen Habermas. In addition to Hans Albert’s most significant work, "Treatise on Critical Reason" (1968), his "Traktat über kritische Vernunft" (eng. "Treatise on Rational Practice)" (1978), "Kritik der reinen Erkenntnislehre" (eng. "Critique of Pure Epistemology") (1987), and "Kritik der reinen Hermeneutik" (eng. "Critique of Pure Hermeneutics") (1994) are among his most important publications.

Read here the detailed obituary by Prof. em. Hartmut Esser, University of Mannheim.

The website of the Hans Albert Institute contains a complete list of Hans Albert's publications.