Paul Cliteur

Paul Cliteur

Cliteur at the Debate Night of Arminius, 2014.
Born Paul Bernard Cliteur
(1955-09-06) 6 September 1955
Amsterdam
Occupation Professor of Jurisprudence
Nationality Dutch
Alma mater Leiden University
Paul Cliteur's voice
Recorded June 2015

Website
Leiden University profile

Paul Bernard Cliteur (born 6 September 1955) is a Dutch professor of jurisprudence at Leiden University, and also a philosopher, writer, publicist, and columnist. He is known for his liberal perspective, his atheism,[1] republicanism[1] and efforts for animal rights. He is a member of De Vrije Gedachte.[2]

Cliteur has also been on the board of several organisations, including supervisor of the Telders Foundation (think tank of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy), and from 1993 until 1995 chair of the Humanist League (Humanistisch Verbond).[3]

Lawyer and philosopher

Cliteur studied law and philosophy, and graduated on 22 March 1989 with his dissertation Conservatisme en cultuurrecht ("Conservatism and cultural law", published in 2005 under the title Natuurrecht, Cultuurrecht, Conservatisme, "Natural law, Cultural law, Conservatism"). From 1995 until 2002, he was Professor of Philosophy at Delft University. He is Professor of Jurisprudence at Leiden University, where he delivered his maiden speech on 28 May 2004 on "The neutral state, particular education and multiculturalism". His activities mainly include law, cultural history, philosophy and ethics.

Columnist and publicist

Cliteur is mainly known for his opining works, in which he expresses his political views. He served as a columnist for, amongst others, Trouw, and had a spoken column in the TV show Buitenhof. In these, he first and foremost expresses his liberal opinions, his own vision of multiculturism, and also advocates for animal rights.

In March 2004, Cliteur told Het Parool in an interview that he felt he was being limited in freely expressing his opinions on Islam after others branded him a "racist" and "stigmatiser". This was partly due to an AIVD report, that argued criticism of Islam is counterproductive for the social integration of Muslims. Cliteur felt it necessary to moderate the tone of his spoken columns for Buitenhof. After being criticised for taking this position, he decided to terminate his contributions to Buitenhof completely, because he regarded himself to be no longer credible.[4]

An overview of his philosophy is described in Dirk Verhofstadt in gesprek met Paul Cliteur. Een zoektocht naar harmonie (2012), an in-depth interview between Dirk Verhofstadt and Paul Cliteur on Enlightenment values such as the freedom of speech, separation of church and state, the right to self-determination and the equality of every human being.

Works

The Secular Outlook Tegen de decadentie Moreel Esperanto
Het Atheïstisch
Woordenboek
God houdt niet
van vrijzinnigheid
De succesvolle mis-
lukking van Europa
Written in his capacity as a lawyer
Written in his capacity as Socrates Professor
Written in his capacity as a publicist
Lecture on audio cd

Further information

Cliteur lecturing on religious violence (2015).

Quotes

References

  1. 1 2 Paul Cliteur (10 March 2001). "God is dood en in Zijn kielzog neemt hij de koning mee". Trouw. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  2. Frank van Zijl (26 March 2004). "Kan ik dit wel zeggen?". de Volkskrant. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  3. "Rechtsgeleerde en filosoof". Wie is Paul Cliteur?. Leiden University. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Rob Trip (28 March 2004). "Buitenhof (2003–2004)". Buitenhof. NPO 1. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  5. Column: De geboorte van Jezus Christus
  6. Anton van Hooff (December 2002). "Atheïstisch bijgeloof". Skepter 15(4). Stichting Skepsis. (including a 4 November 2007 addendum)
  7. Paul Cliteur – Modern zelotisme (in: “De Vrijdenker”, June 2008)
  8. "Stemoproep voor Van Schijndel". Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. (via archive.org)

Media related to Paul Cliteur at Wikimedia Commons

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