Hans Albert is a pioneer and representative of critical rationalism, a scientific philosophy in which theories are tested critically and empirically in order to get closer to the truth. He is on a par with Max Weber and Karl Popper and one of the most renowned philosophers of science, both in Germany and internationally. Hans Albert received the honorary doctorate for his scientific work from the universities of Linz, Athens, Kassel, Graz and Klagenfurt. In 2008, he also received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse).
For more than a quarter of a century, from 1963 to 1989, Albert was the holder the Chair of Sociology and Epistemology at the School of Social Sciences of the University of Mannheim. During this time, he published his standard work “Traktat über kritische Vernunft” on the theory of knowledge and science and participated in the positivism dispute in which he took a stand together with Karl Popper against Theodor W. Adorno and Jürgen Habermas.
Although Hans Albert received offers from several other universities, he stayed at the University of Mannheim until he retired as professor emeritus. Hans Albert’s influence on his school is still present today. Although the school’s three disciplines address different scientific questions, the critical rationalism that was propagated in Albert’s “Traktat über kritische Vernunft” has become a joint understanding of science. All researchers of the school follow rational decision-making models in their theories and test these empirically and analytically with quantitative methods.
The University of Mannheim and the School of Social Sciences thank Hans Albert for his work at the university and congratulate him on his 100th birthday as well as on his outstanding scientific lifetime achievements.
Further information
Laudation of Prof. Michael Diehl, dean of the School of Social Sciences (in German): https://www.uni-mannheim.de/newsroom/100-jahre-hans-albert/
Laudation of Prof. Hartmut Esser, successor of Hans Albert at the Chair of Sociology and Epistemology (in German): https://www.uni-mannheim.de/newsroom/100-jahre-hans-albert/#c230034
Website of the Hans-Albert-Institut for his 100th birthday (in German): https://hans-albert-institut.de/hans-albert-ein-jahrhundertdenker