Thursday, January 27, 2011

Olavo's résumé


  1. Brazilian philosopher and writer with a very influential voice in Brazilian politics, acknowledged internationally even by critics as the preeminent Brazilian thinker and commentator alive today.
  2. Media columnist and radio host with a wide and educated audience throughout Brazil including academics and government officials.
  3. University lecturer with a lengthy record of international honors and achievements, author of ten successful books and hundreds of articles

Professional career

1967-1974 Reporter/columnist/editor: media conglomerate “Empresa Folha da Manhã,” (São Paulo, Brazil); the magazine Brasil-Israel; newspaper Cidade de Santos (News Editor); Atualidades Médicas (Brazilian edition of Medical World News).
1973-1975 Assistant Political Editor, Brazilian newspaper Jornal da Tarde (evening edition of O Estado de S. Paulo)
1976-1977 Editor-in-Chief, Jornal da Semana (Brazilian weekly newspaper).
1977-2005 Journalist/columnist for numerous Brazilian magazines and newspapers, among which: Claudia, Nova, Contexto, Sala de Aula, Escola, Bravo, República, Primeira Leitura.
1981 Began university lecturing career (summary list of courses and lectures below).
1997-2001 Director of the Philosophy Seminar, University Center of the City of Rio de Janeiro..
1998-1999 Deputy editor for Brazilian Army Publisher (Biblioteca do Exército); edited the book The Army in Brazilian History, 3 vols., Rio de Janeiro, 1998.
1999-2001 Publishing Director, “Library of Philosophy” series for Brazilian publisher Editora Record S. A.
1999-2001 Director, the University Center for the City of Rio de Janeiro’s publishing house.
2000-2005 Weekly newspaper columnist for O Globo, (Rio de Janeiro) and Zero Hora, (Porto Alegre, Brazil).
2002-2005 Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Political Philosophy, Postgraduate Program in Public Administration, Catholic University of Paraná.
2005-present Weekly columnist for Jornal do Brasil (Rio de Janeiro) and Diário do Comércio (São Paulo).

Published books

(a) Author

1. Símbolos e Mitos no Filme “O Silêncio dos Inocentes” (“Symbols and Myths in the Film ‘The Silence of the Lambs’”). Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Artes Liberais/Stella Caymmi Editora, 1992.
2. Os Gêneros Literários: Seus Fundamentos Metafísicos (“Literary Genres: Their Metaphysical Foundations”). Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Artes Liberais/Stella Caymmi Editora, 1992.
3. O Caráter como Forma Pura da Personalidade (“Character as the Pure Form of Personality”). Rio de Janeiro, Astroscientia Editora/Instituto de Artes Liberais, 1993.
4. A Nova Era e a Revolução Cultural: Fritjof Capra & Antonio Gramsci (“New Age and Cultural Revolution: Fritjof Capra and Antonio Gramsci”). Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Artes Liberais/Stella Caymmi Editora, 1994.
5. O Jardim das Aflições: De Epicuro à Ressurreição de César ~ Ensaio sobre o Materialismo e a Religião Civil (“The Garden of Afflictions: From Epicurus to the Resurrection of Caesar – An Essay on Materialism and Civil Religion”). Rio de Janeiro, Diadorim, 1995.
6. O Imbecil Coletivo: Atualidades Inculturais Brasileiras (“The Collective Imbecile: Brazilian Incultural News”). Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade da Cidade Editora e Academia Brasileira de Filosofia, 1996; 6th edition, May 1998.
7. Aristóteles em Nova Perspectiva: Introdução à Teoria dos Quatro Discursos (“Aristotle in a New Perspective: Introduction to the Theory of the Four Discourses”). Rio de Janeiro, Topbooks, 1996.
8. Como Vencer um Debate sem Precisar Ter Razão. Comentários à “Dialética Erística” de Arthur Schopenhauer ~ Texto e Comentários (“How to Win a Debate with No Need to Be Right: Comments on Arthur Schopenhauer’s “Eristic Dialectics”). Rio de Janeiro, Topbooks, 1997.
9. O Futuro do Pensamento Brasileiro: Estudos sobre o Nosso Lugar no Mundo (“The Future of Brazilian Thought: Studies on Our Place in the World”). Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade da Cidade Editora, 1997.
10. A Longa Marcha da Vaca Para o Brejo & Os Filhos da PUC. O Imbecil Coletivo II (“The Long March Down the Drain & The Sons of PUC: The Collective Imbecile II”). Rio de Janeiro, Topbooks, 1998.

(b) Editor/contributor

1. As Seis Doenças do Espírito Contemporâneo (“The Six Diseases of the Contemporary Spirit”, by the Romanian philosopher Constantin Noica). Rio de Janeiro, Record, 1999 (Biblioteca de Filosofia vol 1).
2. Aristóteles (“Aristotle”, by the French philosopher Émile Boutroux), Rio de Janeiro, Record, 2001 (Biblioteca de Filosofia vol. 2).
3. A Origem da Linguagem (“The Origin of Speech”, by the German-American philosopher Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy). Rio de Janeiro, Record, 2002 (Biblioteca de Filosofia vol. 3).
4. O Exército na História do Brasil (“The Army in Brazilian History”), 3 vols.. Rio de Janeiro, Biblioteca do Exército/Fundação Odebrecht, 1998.
5. Onde a Arte não Dormia (“Where Art Did Not Sleep” - Memoirs of the famous Brazilian actress Ítala Nandi ) 2nd edition. Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade da Cidade Editora, 1997.
6. O Espírito das Revoluções (“The Spirit of Revolutions”, an essay by former Brazilian Ambassador to Israel and to Poland J. O. de Meira Penna). Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade da Cidade Editora, 1997.
7. Ensaios Reunidos (“Collected Essays” of the Austro-Brazilian literary critic and historian Otto Maria Carpeaux), 3 vols.. Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade da Cidade Editora and Topbooks, data.
8. A Sociedade de Confiança (“The Society of Trust”, by former French Minister of Justice Alain Peyrefitte). Rio de Janeiro, Topbooks, 2000.

Leading roles in Courses, Conferences, Congresses and Seminars

  • Instituto de Biociências da USP (Institute of Biological Sciences, São Paulo University);
  • Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo (Institute of Psychology, São Paulo University);
  • Associação Paulista de Medicina (São Paulo Medical Association);
  • Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Campinas State University);
  • Centro Educacional da Lagoa (Lagoa Educational Center, Rio de Janeiro);
  • Centro Brasileiro de Estudos Estratégicos (Brazilian Center for Strategic Studies, Rio de Janeiro);
  • Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro State University);
  • Instituto Liberal (Liberal Institute, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre);
  • Instituto de História e Geografia Militar do Brasil (Brazilian Institute for Military History and Geography, Rio de Janeiro);
  • Clube Militar (Military Club, Rio de Janeiro);
  • Universidade Mackenzie (Mackenzie University, São Paulo);
  • Casa de Cultura Laura Alvim (Laura Alvim Cultural Center, Rio de Janeiro);
  • Escola de Comando e Estado-Maior do Exército (Brazilian Army Command and General Staff School, Rio de Janeiro);
  • Associação dos Diplomados da Escola Superior de Guerra (Brazilian Higher War College Alumni Association, Rio de Janeiro);
  • Associação Comercial do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro Chamber of Commerce);
  • Associação Comercial de São Paulo (São Paulo Chamber of Commerce);
  • Escola Dante Alighieri (Dante Alighieri School, Salvador);
  • Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Unesco, Paris (House of Human Sciences Foundation, Unesco, Paris, France);
  • Casa de América Latina (House of Latin America, Bucharest, Romania);
  • Universidade de Cluj-Napocca (Cluj-Napocca University, Romania);
  • União Brasileira de Escritores (Brazilian Writers’ Union, São Paulo);
  • Universidade Católica de Salvador (Catholic University of Salvador);
  • Faculdade de Direito da USP (São Paulo University’s Faculty of Law);
  • Câmara Americana de Comércio (American Chamber of Commerce, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro);
  • Instituto Brasiliense de Direito Público (Institute for Public Law, Brasília);
  • Universidade Católica do Paraná (Catholic University of Paraná).

Major Awards 

  • Commander of Romania’s National Order of Merit, medal granted under decree by Romanian President Emil Constantinescu, Dec. 5, 2000.
  • First Prize in the Essay Contest sponsored by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Brasilia to celebrate the birth centennial of the Spanish Philosopher José Ortega y Gasset (1985).
  • First Prize in the Essay Contest on Islamic History sponsored by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1986).
  • Pacifier Medal, awarded by the Brazilian Army on August 25, 1999.
  • “Santos-Dumont” Merit Medal, awarded by the Brazilian Air Force on July 20, 2001.
  • Green Card, under the category of alien with extraordinary ability, granted by the American government (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), in March, 2010.

Membership in Professional Associations (by field of expertise)

  • International Federation of Journalists, Brussels, Belgium
Regular member
  • Brazilian Federation of Journalists, Brasilia DF, Brazil
Regular member
  • American Political Science Association, Washington D. C.
Regular member
  • International Political Science Association, Montreal, Canada
Regular member
  • Brazilian Writers’ Union (União Brasileira de Escritores), São Paulo SP, Brazil
Regular member
  • Institute for Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies, University Center of the City of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Founding member
  • Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Senior lecturer, Researcher
  • Instituto Brasileiro de Humanidades (Brazilian Institute for the Humanities), São Paulo SP, Brazil
Founding member
  • Jornal do Brasil (Brazilian newspaper), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brazil
Columnist
  • Diário do Comércio (Brazilian newspaper), São Paulo SP, Brazil
Correspondent in Washington, D.C.
Senior editor

Published material about Olavo de Carvalho
(Opinions of the critics)

1. General

* “Olavo de Carvalho is the author of priceless philosophical reflections.” (Carlos Alberto Montaner, O Estado de S. Paulo, January 19, 1999.)
* “A man of high competence in Philosophy, he has obtained a wide success both as a scholar and as a professor.” (Jorge Amado, Brazilian acclaimed novelist, in a personal letter to their common friend Stella Caymmi.)
* “He gave us definitive proof of the seriousness of his goals and of his comprehensive philosophical scholarship.” (Romano Galeffi, Professor of Esthetics, Bahia Federal University, in an official report on the project of my book Aristotle in a New Perspective.)
* “Indifferent to cultural show business, Olavo de Carvalho chose for himself the true intellectual life.” (José Enrique Barreiro, TV Educativa, Salvador, BA.)
* “An independent intellectual, free from any links to political groups, and the owner of a wide philosophical culture.” (Carlos Cordeiro, Diário de Pernambuco, Recife, August 22, 1989.)
* “I admire in Olavo de Carvalho not only the high value of his intellectual work, but also the polemical vigor of his combats.” (J. O. de Meira Penna, former Brazilian Ambassador to Israel and to Poland, Jornal da Tarde, São Paulo, October 10, 1996.)
* “A philosopher of great erudition.” (Roberto Campos, Minister of Planning (1964-67), Brazilian Ambassador to the United States and to the United Kingdom, Folha de S. Paulo, September 22, 1996.)
* “Monumental! His work has the wide breadth of an epic of the word, the fearlessly bright word, the brave and exact word.” (Herberto Sales, prominent Brazilian novelist and member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, in a personal letter.)
* “The most brilliant and controversial Brazilian thinker.” (Monica Grigorescu, Rompress ~ Romanian National News Agency, July 3, 1997.)
* “A man of intellectual courage.” (Jarbas Passarinho, former Minister of Education, O Estado de S. Paulo, June 19, 1988.)

2. On The New Age and Cultural Revolution

* “Excellent and timely.” (Josué Montello, president of Brazilian Academy of Letters, in a personal letter to the author.)
* “A living being, magnificent, enlightening.” (Jacob Klintowitz, art critic of Jornal da Tarde, São Paulo).
3. On Aristotle in a New Perspective

* “Olavo de Carvalho goes right to the founders of Western philosophical tradition.” (Paulo Francis, O Globo, January 5, 1997).
* “If Voegelin had read this, he would have incorporated your thought into his own to explain how we proceed from perception to science.” (Frederick Wagner, Eric Voegelin Society, letter to the author, February 14, 2005).
* “…de Carvalho's paper is very well organized and quite consistent - on a solid philosophical, interpretative and historical foundation… It contains a convincing and fascinating explanation of the organic, historical development of discourses across cultures (and, incidentally, reminded me of Voegelin!). This is followed by excellent rational justification (“logical necessity of the four discourses”) and by a thorough psychological explanation with detailed analysis of the discourses in relation to human activity. This structure makes Mr. de Carvalho's treatment very complete, without any residue. I particularly liked his discussion of the unity of human knowledge in its unfolding; the interplay between imagination and reason; also the particular analysis of the dynamism of each discourse (in its vicinity, relying on the antecedent and subsequent discourses). Here, the author gives an excellent, informed account of Aristotle's epistemology and emphasizes the mapping from process to method which is indeed very consistent with Aristotle's view. I was quite impressed by his relevant note on modern studies on the inseparability of the discourses (the very pertinent mention of Pratt, Perelman, Kuhn, Godel) and with his rejection of Aquinas' linear scale of “worth” among the discourses. The author is very mature and doesn't let himself get carried away by his thesis, but plans carefully and handles all aspects in the proper historico-philosophical context; and he is always explicit about his intentions, never obscure. He does not avoid apparent inconsistencies or difficulties, trying to resolve or explain them. This is how philosophy is supposed to be done.” (Tudor Munteanu, Eric Voegelin Society, letter to Frederick Wagner, February 27, 2005).
* “Never since Giambattista Vico had there been so luminous an interpretation as to end the mystification of the ‘two cultures’.” (Mendo Castro Henriques, Professor of Philosophy, Lisbon Catholic University, (Portugal) in a letter to the author.)

4. On The Garden of Afflictions

* “Few books have I read that made such interesting and beneficial reading as The Garden of Afflictions.” (Josué Montello, president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.)
* “Inexhaustible erudition and unflinching intellectual honesty. The trumpet call for the resurrection of Brazilian independent thought.” (Bruno Tolentino, prominent Brazilian poet, in the preface to Prof. de Carvalho’s influential book The Garden of Afflictions.)
* “A wonderful book, a burst of light in the darkness.” (Leopoldo Serran, Jornal do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, September 6, 1996.)
* “If his work distinguishes itself from the shallow and pedantic prose of contemporary philosophies, it is mainly for its lively and good humored style, for its generous erudition and for its tireless search for intellectual honesty.” (Antônio Fernando Borges, Jornal do Brasil, January 6, 1996.)
* “Rich and profound erudition, as can be seen in his philosophical essays The Literary Genres and Aristotle in a New Perspective, both succinct, concise, conceptually rigorous and guided by a refined logical method.” (Vamireh Chacon, Professor of Political Science at the University of Brasilia, Jornal de Brasília, January 22, 1996.)

5. On The Collective Imbecile

* “An indispensable book. Demand it from your bookseller!” (Paulo Francis, O Globo and O Estado de S. Paulo, July 28, 1996.)
* “An appalling intelligence and an unsurpassable mastery of its subject.” (Ângelo Monteiro, Diário de Pernambuco, November 23, 1996.)

6. On the Introduction to Otto Maria Carpeaux’s Collected Essays

* “An extensive, profound and beautiful introduction. Never having met him personally, Olavo de Carvalho probed very deeply into Carpeaux’s intellectual drama.” (Edson Nery da Fonseca)
* “A rich critical outlook of an important moment of Brazilian intellectual history.” (Carlos Heitor Cony, preface to Ensaios Reunidos de Otto Maria Carpeaux, vol. I. (Rio, Topbooks, 1999.)
7. Opinions of American critics

* “Professor Carvalho has been one of the most astute analysts of Brazilian politics. He has courageously attacked official corruption and its broader cultural consequences. He has been a strong defender of the interests of the United States and a critic of simpleminded anti-Americanism. His is an important voice in hemispheric political debates.” (Bryan McCann, Georgetown University, History Department, Associate Professor).

* “I have known Olavo de Carvalho and his work since the spring of 2006. At that time, I had the pleasure to edit his very fine manuscript, entitled “Aristotle in a New Perspective”. After editing the manuscript, I took the uncharacteristic step of forwarding it (with the author's permission) to a few of my former professors at the University of Notre Dame. I did so because I was quite certain that the manuscript marked a highly original contribution to our understanding of Aristotle — which is no easy feat, given the sheer volume of scholarship surrounding this ancient thinker.” (Jodi Bruhn, Ph.D. Research Fellow, Institute On Governance, Ottawa, Canada).