Jan Sokol (18 April 1936 – 16 February 2021) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

philosopher,

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...

, politician and translator. He briefly served as

Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

in 1998 under Prime Minister

Josef Tošovský Josef Tošovský () (born 28 September 1950) is a Czech economist and former governor of Czech National Bank (from 1993 to 2000). From 17 December 1997 to 22 July 1998 he was the prime minister of the Czech Republic in a caretaker government. C ...

. From 1990 to 1992, he was

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. From 2000 to 2007, he served as the first dean of the Faculty of Humanities at

Charles University in Prague Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the oldest universities in the world in continuous operation, the oldest university north of the ...

. Sokol ran for

President of the Czech Republic The president of the Czech Republic, constitutionally defined as the President of the Republic (), is the head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The presidency has largely bee ...

in the 2003 election but lost to

Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...

Life and work

He was born in Prague in a Catholic family, his father Jan was an architect, his grandfather František Nušl was an astronomer and mathematician. His younger brother Václav is a graphic artist. During the

Communist era A communist era is a sustained period of national government by a single party following the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. Many countries have experienced such a period of communist rule. Current communist states China The Chinese Communist ...

, he was not allowed to study and, therefore, worked as a goldsmith, precision mechanic and software developer. Sokol studied mathematics in evening courses (received BA in 1967), translated numerous books on philosophy and religion to Czech ( Lévinas, de Chardin,

Gadamer Hans-Georg Gadamer (; ; 11 February 1900 – 13 March 2002) was a German philosopher of the continental tradition, best known for his 1960 on hermeneutics, '' Truth and Method'' (''Wahrheit und Methode''). Life Family and early life Gad ...

Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French historian of ideas and philosopher who was also an author, literary critic, political activist, and teacher. Foucault's theories primarily addressed the relationships be ...

Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art, and language. In April ...

, Landsberg etc.), participated on the Czech Ecumenical Bible translation (1963–1979), and was one of the first signatories of the

Charta 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech and Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Jiří Něme ...

manifesto for

Human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

. In 1990, he was elected as a Member of the Czechoslovak Parliament, becoming vice-chairman of the Chamber of Nations and spokesman of the strongest faction

Civic Forum The Civic Forum (, OF) was a political movement in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, established during the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The corresponding movement in Slovakia was called Public Against Violence ( – VPN). The Civic Forum's purpo ...

(OF). In 1998 he was

in caretaker Josef Tošovský's Cabinet. In 1993, he obtained an MA in Anthropology, in 1995 a Ph.D. in Philosophy and since 2000 has been a full professor of philosophy. In 2000, Sokol became the first dean of

Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague Faculty or faculties may refer to: Academia * Faculty (academic staff), professors, researchers, and teachers of a given university or college (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a large department of a university by field of study (us ...

, vice-dean in 2007 and in 2008 was appointed an Officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. In the Fall Semester 2008, he was a Senior Fellow at CSWR,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, lecturing on Religion, Ethics and Human rights. He has been influenced mostly by

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

Christian tradition Christian tradition is a collection of traditions consisting of practices or beliefs associated with Christianity. Many churches have traditional practices, such as particular patterns of worship or rites, that developed over time. Deviations from ...

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (; 1 May 1881 – 10 April 1955) was a French Jesuit, Catholic priest, scientist, palaeontologist, theologian, and teacher. He was Darwinian and progressive in outlook and the author of several influential theologi ...

, Raymond Ruyer, his father-in-law

Jan Patočka Jan Patočka (; 1 June 1907 – 13 March 1977) was a Czech philosopher. Having studied in Prague, Paris, Berlin, and Freiburg, he was one of the last pupils of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. In Freiburg he also developed a lifelong philos ...

and

Emmanuel Lévinas Emmanuel Levinas (born Emanuelis Levinas ; ; 12 January 1906 – 25 December 1995) was a French philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work within Jewish philosophy, existentialism, and phenomenology, focusing on the rel ...

. His works mainly dealt with

Philosophical Anthropology Philosophical anthropology, sometimes called anthropological philosophy, is a discipline within philosophy that inquires into the essence of human nature. It deals with questions of metaphysics and phenomenology of the human person. Philosophic ...

, Phenomenology, Anthropology of Religion and of Law and in the theory of Human Rights. He has published several books, articles in Czech and in other languages and has delivered many guest lectures in various European countries and in the US, mostly on philosophy, religion, ethics and on European questions. In a 2020 interview, Sokol stated that he frequently edited Wikipedia in order to reach young people. He was prolific contributor to Wikipedia and honorary member of Wikimedia Czech Republic.

Some publications

Books

''In Czech:'' * Cílek – Sokol – Sůvová, ''Evropa – náš domov'' (Europe – Our Home). Albatros, Praha 2018, 132 p. * Sokol, J., ''Naděje na neděli'' (Hope for Sunday). Praha 2017. 280 p. * Sokol, J., ''Dluh života. Články – eseje – glosy'' (The Debt of Life). FHS UK, Praha 2016. 668 p. * Sokol, J., ''Člověk jako osoba'' (Man as a Person). Vyšehrad, Praha 2016. 3rd. ed. 280 p. * Sokol, J.: ''Moc, peníze a právo'' (Power, Money and Law). Vyšehrad, Praha 2015. 2nd. ed. 304 p. * Sokol, J.: ''Etika, život, instituce'' (Ethics, Life and Institutions). Vyšehrad, Praha 2014, 264 p. * Sokol, J.: ''Malá filosofie člověka'' (A Small Philosophy of Man). Vysehrad, Prague 2010, 6th. ed. * Sokol, J.: ''Čas a rytmus'' (Time and Rhythm). Oikumene, Prague 2004, 2nd. ed. * Sokol, J.: ''Člověk a náboženství'' (Man and Religion). Portal, Prague 2004. * Sokol, J. – Z. Pinc: ''Antropologie a etika'' (Anthropology and Ethics). Triton, Prague 2003. * Sokol, J.: ''Filosofická antropologie'' (Philosophic Anthropology – Man as a Person). Portal, Prague 2002. * Sokol, J.: ''Mistr Eckhart a středověká mystika'' (Master Eckhart and the Medieval Mysticism). Vysehrad, Prague 2008, 3rd. ed. . ''In English:'': * Sokol, J.: ''Ethics, life and institutions''. English by N. Cairns and M. Pauzerová. Praha: Karolinum 2016. 258 p. * Sokol, J.: ''Thinking about ordinary things''. English by M. Pauzerova. Praha: Karolinum 2013. 236 p. ''In German:'': * Sokol, J.: ''Mensch und Religion : Ursprünge – Wege – Orientierungen''. Übers. J. Ostmeyer. Freiburg im Breisgau: Alber Verlag, 2007. 320 S. . * Sokol, J.: ''Philosophie als Verpflichtung''. Manutius Heidelberg 2014, 208 S. ''In Chinese:'' * Sokol, J.: ''Xiao zhexue: ruhe sikao putong de shiwu.'' (A small philosophy). Peking University Press 2018, 249 p.

Others

''In English'': * Europe speaks. Linguistic Diversity and Politics. In: ''Angelaki: Journal of Theoretical Humanities. Vol. 15/3, 2010, p. 185–193. (electronic) 0969-725X (paper) *Language and experience. In: ''Dynamic structure. Language as an open system''. Prague : Litteraria pragensia, 2007. p. 27–35. . *What does freedom look like? In: ''Int. J. Prenatal and perinatal psychology and medicine'', Stockholm. Vol. 17, 1/2 (2005), p. 181–187. *The market as a place of rules. In: M. T. Vogt (hsg.), ''Kulturen in Begegnung''. Wroclaw – Görlitz 2004. . p. 239–243. *The Two Faces of Time. In: ''European Review'', Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 11–18 (2001). . *An Address from Elsewhere (The Message of Lévinas). In: ''Philosophy Today'', Chicago, 43/2 (1999), p. 143–150, . ''In German'': *Nachbarschaft – Nähe und Abgrenzung aus anthropologischer Sicht. In: ''Theologie der Gegenwart'', Erfurt, Vol. 50 (2007)/3, S. 162–171. *Die dreifache Verantwortung der Universität. In R. Gepp et al. (Hsg.), ''Bildung zwischen Luxus und Notwendigkeit''. Wien : LIT-Verlag Wien, 2006. P. 21–27. Schriftenreihe der WA. Bd. 1. . *Eine Ethik für alle Menschen? In: Schmidinger – Hoff (hsg.), ''Ethik im Brennpunkt''. Tyrolia, Innsbruck 2005, S. 181–200. . * Was ist Geld? In: ''Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensethik'' 5/2 (2004), S. 176–185. *Europa spricht. Sprachenvielfalt und Politik. In: ''Osteuropa'' 5-6/2004, Berlin, S. 276–283. . *Was ist Geld? In: ''Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensethik'' 5/2 (2004), S. 176–185. *Was ist Geld? In: M. T. Vogt (hsg.), ''Kulturen in Begegnung''. Wroclaw – Görlitz 2004. . S. 189–198. *Der zweifache Schöpfungsbericht als hermeneutischer Schlüssel. In: Pokorný, P. (ed.): Philosophical Hermeneutics and Biblical Exegesis. Tübingen 2002, ., S. 238–244. *Leben als Bewegung. Jan Patočka und die Philosophie der Erziehung. In: ''Jahrbuch fuer Bildungs- und Erziehungsphilosophie'', 3 (2000), S. 223–229. Schneider Hohengehren, . ''In French'': *Jan Patocka et la Charte 77. La nouvelle alternative, Paris, 22, 1, p. 29–34, 5 s. . 2008. *Les regles: conditions de la liberté concrete. In: ''Philosophie de l'action''. Cluj 2005, , p. 173–181. *Novotný, K. – Sokol, J.: Jan Patočka, penseur d'une dissidence philosophique et politique. In: Delsol – Maslowski – Nowicki (eds.): Dissidences. PUF Paris 2005. . p. 15–34. *L'obligation et la vie. In: ''Pouvoir et vie''. Actes UEE de Nice. Cluj : Idea Design & Print, Editura, 2004. p. 117–125. . *D'ou vient l'idée de l'obligation morale? In: ''Quelle conception de l'homme aujourd'hui?'' Zuerich 2003. . p. 119–130. *La pensée européenne de Jan Patočka. In: Delsol – Maslowski (ed.): ''Histoire des idées politiques de l'Europe centrale'', p. 496–510. PUF Paris 1998. ''In other languages'': *Zijn mensenrechten natuurlijk? ''Filosofie ond Praktijk'', Budel (NL) : Damon, 28/2007, 4, p. 43–53, . 2007.

References

External links

Personal pages (cs, en, de, fr)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sokol, Jan 1936 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Czech philosophers Education ministers of the Czech Republic Charter 77 signatories Czechoslovak democracy activists Czech Roman Catholics Academic staff of Charles University Candidates in the 2003 Czech presidential election Czech Social Democratic Party presidential candidates KDU-ČSL presidential candidates Wikipedia people Officers of the Legion of Honour English-language writers German-language writers French-language writers Dutch-language writers Czech-language writers Writers from Prague Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, 1st class