Ryszard Legutko

Ryszard Legutko

Ryszard Legutko
(Kielce, 25 February 2014)
Minister of Education of Poland
In office
13 August 2007  16 November 2007
Preceded by Roman Giertych
Succeeded by Katarzyna Hall
Member of the European Parliament
for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie
Assumed office
1 July 2014
Member of the European Parliament
for Lower Silesian and Opole
In office
14 July 2009  2 July 2014
Personal details
Born (1949-12-24) December 24, 1949
Kraków, Poland
Nationality Polish
Political party Law and Justice
Children 2
Alma mater Jagiellonian University
Occupation Politician, philosopher
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website Official website
President Lech Kaczyński and Ryszard Legutko

Ryszard Antoni Legutko (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɨʂart anˈtɔɲi lɛˈɡutkɔ]), born 24 December 1949, is a Polish philosopher and politician. Professor of philosophy at the Jagellonian University in Kraków, specializing in ancient philosophy and political theory.[1]

Under communism he was one of the editors of the samizdat quarterly “Arka”. After the collapse of the communist regime he co-founded the Centre for Political Thought, which combines research, teaching, seminars and conferences and is also a publishing house.[2] He has translated and written commentaries to Plato’s Phaedo (1995), Euthyphro (1998) and Apology (2003). He is the author of several books: Plato’s Critique of Democracy (1990), Toleration (1997), A Treatise on Liberty (2007) and An Essay on the Polish Soul (2008), Socrates (2013).

In 2005 he was elected to a seat in the Polish Senate (representing the Law and Justice Party), where he became Deputy Speaker. In 2007 he was Poland’s Education Minister, and in 2007-2009 Secretary of State in the Chancellery of President Lech Kaczyński. He is currently a member of the European Parliament, where he sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Deputy Chairman of the Conservatives and Reformists parliamentary group.

Sued in 2010 for violation of personal rights by calling students who demanded removal of Christian symbols from a public school “unruly brats spoiled by their parents”, he asked for a dismissal of the case based on his immunity as a member of European Parliament. In 2011 the court denied that request.[3] Plaintiffs are represented by an attorney on a pro-bono basis under the Precedential Cases Program of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.[4]

Fellow of Collegium Invisibile as a professor of philosophy.[5]

External links

Media related to Ryszard Legutko at Wikimedia Commons

References

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