Speech of Professor Legutko for the European parliament

[pjotr]

[pjotr]

Ryszard Legutko



Ryszard Antoni Legutko, 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.
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. 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. Plaintiffs are represented by an attorney on a pro-bono basis under the Precedential Cases Program of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.

Fellow of Collegium Invisibile as a professor of philosophy.

[Bonobo]

He ran the philosophy course which I attended at uni in 1980s. I didn`t like him - too strict and demanding for a "philosopher." Should have been more relaxed, `cause he introduced stressful atmosphere.