Denis Lerrer Rosenfield (born November 21, 1950) is a Brazilian writer and columnist. Along with

Patrícia Carlos de Andrade Patrícia Carlos de Andrade is a Brazilian economist, daughter of the journalist Evandro Carlos de Andrade (managing editor of '' O Globo'' from 1971 to 1995 and Director of TV Globo's News Center between 1995 and 2001). She was also married to ...

, Rosenfield has co-founded the Millennium Institute in 2005.

Academic life

Rosenfield has a degree in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

from the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

, and in 1982 he earned a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in philosophy from Université Paris 1 . In 1999, he obtained a

post-doctorate A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary academ ...

at the

École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

(Fontenay/St Cloud). He is

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of Philosophy at the

Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (, UFRGS) is a Brazilian Public university, public National university, federal research university based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. UFRGS is among the largest and highest-rated universities ...

Controversies

A defender of individual liberties and of the right to

private property Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental Capacity (law), legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which is owned by a state entity, and from Collective ownership ...

, Rosenfield has positioned himself against state interference in citizens' lives. In an interview to Veja's magazine in 2011, he characterized

ANVISA The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (, ''Anvisa'', literally National Health Surveillance Agency) is a regulatory body of the Brazilian government, created in 1999 during President Fernando Henrique Cardoso's term of office. It is responsible ...

, a Brazilian

government agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...

akin to the US'

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

, as "the great tutor of the Brazilian citizen, one who knows everything and to whom we owe blind obedience." According to Rosenfield, the ANVISA Agency was being run by " schizophrenics" whose sole purpose has been to meddle in the lives of the Brazilians. Rosenfield sees no problem in being called a "

rightist Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property, r ...

", since it means "the defense of

personal freedom Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...

, of the state and of the

property rights The right to property, or the right to own property (cf. ownership), is often classified as a human right for natural persons regarding their Possession (law), possessions. A general recognition of a right to private property is found more rarely ...

Selected publications

* * * *

References

External links

Diretório dos Grupos de Pesquisa no Brasil - Researcher Denis Lerrer Rosenfield

Biography at the ''Instituto Millenium''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenfield, Denis Lerrer Brazilian essayists Brazilian philosophers People from Porto Alegre Conservatism in Brazil National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni University of Paris alumni 1950 births Living people 21st-century Brazilian philosophers Political philosophers Hegelian philosophers Objectivists Hegel scholars