Festschrift “The power of justification” published on Rainer Forst’s 60th birthday

The philosopher and director of the “Normative Orders” research center Prof. Dr. Rainer Forst celebrated his 60th birthday on 15 August 2024. To mark the occasion, Suhrkamp-Verlag published the commemorative publication “Die Macht der Rechtfertigung – Perspektiven einer kritischen Theorie der Gerechtigkeit”, in which internationally renowned thinkers discuss his extensive work.

Born in Wiesbaden in 1964, Forst studied philosophy, political science and American studies in Frankfurt am Main, New York and Harvard. In 1993, he completed his doctorate with a dissertation on theories of political and social justice under Jürgen Habermas, and in 2003 he habilitated (then as an assistant to Axel Honneth) with his book “Tolerance in Conflict”. In addition to several visiting professorships, Forst is Professor of Political Theory and Philosophy at Goethe University Frankfurt; he has turned down various calls to teach at home and abroad (including Chicago, Princeton and Berlin). In 2012, he was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation.

Rainer Forst is considered an important representative of the so-called “third generation” of the Frankfurt School and is known in particular for his work on the theory of justice, democracy, tolerance, power and freedom. His extensive work is widely discussed internationally and has had a significant influence on contemporary philosophy, political theory and political debate. The book “The Power of Justification” brings together contributions from renowned thinkers who discuss the diverse aspects of Forst’s work and at the same time provide an insight into the latest developments within critical theory. It was edited by Mahmoud Bassiouni, Eva Buddeberg, Mattias Iser, Anja Karnein and Martin Saar.

We would like to congratulate Rainer Forst once again from the bottom of our hearts on his special birthday, together with all good wishes for the coming years of his academic work, not only in our international academic community, which has sent congratulations from near and far. Above all, we wish him all the best and much joy for the many more years of his work here at Goethe University and, of course, here with us at Normative Orders. We are looking forward to it!