I was deeply saddened by the news of Frank Schirrmacher’s death.

Frank Schirrmacher was a both a progressive social thinker and an intellectual pioneer.

Time and again, he prompted important public debate on political issues in his FAZ newspaper and in German feuilletons.

He argued for his beliefs with a commitment seen in few others, and in doing so showed a talent for profound political thinking and voicing increasingly frank criticism without being offensive.

We will miss his strong voice.