Hans Joas, born in 1948, is a sociologist and social philosopher and was a fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) from 2011 to 2014. He is honorary professor at the Theological Faculty of the Humboldt University, Berlin, and member of the Committee of Social Thought at the University of Chicago. In the summer semester 2012 Joas was the first academic to hold the newly established guest professorship of the Joseph Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI Foundation at the University of Regensburg.