Olof Alfred Gigon (28 January 1912 – 18 June 1998) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

classical philologist. He is particularly known as a historian of philosophy and translator of ancient philosophical texts.

Biography

Olof Gigon, son of the physician Alfred Gigon (1883-1975), was born and grew up in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, where he studied classical and oriental philology. He spent one semester in Munich in years 1932/33. During his studies, he learned Arabic, Persian and Turkish. Gigon received his doctorate in 1934 with the dissertation research on

Heraclitus Heraclitus (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Empire. He exerts a wide influence on Western philosophy, ...

. He spent the next two years studying in Paris. In 1937, he qualified as an assistant professor with an investigation of

Theophrastus Theophrastus (; ; c. 371 – c. 287 BC) was an ancient Greek Philosophy, philosopher and Natural history, naturalist. A native of Eresos in Lesbos, he was Aristotle's close colleague and successor as head of the Lyceum (classical), Lyceum, the ...

's ''About the winds''. In 1939, at the age of 57 years, Gigon was called a professor of classical studies at the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...

. After the Second World War, from 1946 to 1948, he was a guest professor teaching at the University of Munich. In 1948, Gigon was appointed professor of Latin Studies at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

, where he worked until his retirement in 1982 and beyond. In the academic year 1966-67 he was rector of the University. He received in 1966 the honorary doctorate from the University of Gothenburg and in 1974 the University of Athens. In

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

he spent his last years.

Research

Gigon was one of the most important historians of philosophy of the 20th century and dealt with the whole range of ancient philosophy. His books have been translated into many languages. An example of his work is the demystification of the figure of

Socrates Socrates (; ; – 399 BC) was a Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and as among the first moral philosophers of the Ethics, ethical tradition ...

. Gigon pointed out that the Socrates, as represented by his student Plato, is a medium of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

's own worldview. Gigon was also of the opinion that all problems of modern philosophy were recognizable already in ancient philosophy, even if sometimes only in their infancy.

Works

Gigon's main writings are: * ''The origins of Greek philosophy'' (1945) * ''Basic problems of ancient philosophy'' (1959) * ''Ancient culture and Christianity'' (1967) {{authority control Classical philologists