Souleymane Bachir Diagne
Encyclopedia
Souleymane Bachir Diagne is a Senegalese philosopher, born in 1955 in Saint-Louis
(Senegal). His work is focused on the history of logic
and mathematics
, epistemology, the tradition of philosophy in the Islamic world, identity formation
, and African literature
s and philosophies
.
After passing his baccalauréat
in Senegal, Diagne was admitted to the demanding public secondary school
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
in Paris, following in the footsteps, almost a half-century later, of his compatriot and the first president of Senegal, Léopold Sédar Senghor
. There he prepared for the entrance exams to the École Normale Supérieure
, meanwhile receiving his license and maîtrise level degrees in philosophy at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. At the École Normale Supérieure he studied with Althusser and Derrida. After receiving his agrégation in Philosophy (1978), Diagne spent a year at Harvard University
in an exchange program. In 1982 he defended a doctoral thesis in mathematics at Université Paris I, where, in 1988, he also completed his doctorat d’Etat, under the direction of Jean-Toussaint Desanti, on George Boole
’s algebra of logic.
In 1982 Diagne returned to his native country to teach philosophy at Cheikh Anta Diop University
in Dakar
, where he became vice-dean of the College of Humanities. The former president of the Republic of Senegal, Abdou Diouf
, named him Counselor for Education and Culture, a position which he held from 1993 to 1999.
Diagne is co-director of Éthiopiques, a Senegalese journal of literature
and philosophy and a member of the editorial committees of numerous scholarly journals
, including the Revue d’histoire des mathématiques, Présence africaine
, and Public Culture
. He is a member of the scientific committees of Diogenes
(published by UNESCO
’s International Counsel of Philosophy and Social Sciences), CODESRIA (Conseil pour le développement de la recherche en sciences sociales en Afrique), and of the African and Malagasy
Committee for Higher Education (CAMES), as well as UNESCO’s Council on the Future. He has been named by Le Nouvel observateur
one of the 50 thinkers of our time. In October 2007 he was invited to participate in a white paper commission on the defense and national security in the French Senate in Paris.
His main publications include two books on George Boole, a book on the Indian poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal
, Islam et société ouverte. La fidélité et le mouvement dans la pensée de Muhammad Iqbal (2001) and an examination of Senghor’s philosophy, Léopold Sédar Senghor. L’Art africain comme philosophie (2007). He is currently working on a book on Islam
and philosophy: Comment philosopher en Islam.
Having taught for several years at in the departments of Philosophy and Religion at Northwestern University
(2002 to 2007), Diagne is currently Professor of French
, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Philosophy, at Columbia University
in New York
.
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...
(Senegal). His work is focused on the history of logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, epistemology, the tradition of philosophy in the Islamic world, identity formation
Identity formation
Identity formation is the development of the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity in a particular stage of life in which individual characteristics are possessed and by which a person is recognised or known . This process defines individuals to others and themselves...
, and African literature
African literature
African literature refers to literature of and from Africa. As George Joseph notes on the first page of his chapter on African literature in Understanding Contemporary Africa, while the European perception of literature generally refers to written letters, the African concept includes oral...
s and philosophies
African philosophy
African philosophy is used in different ways by different philosophers. Although African philosophers spend their time doing work in many different areas, such as metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and political philosophy, a great deal of the literature is taken up with a debate...
.
After passing his baccalauréat
Baccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
in Senegal, Diagne was admitted to the demanding public secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
in Paris, following in the footsteps, almost a half-century later, of his compatriot and the first president of Senegal, Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal . Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. Before independence, he founded the political party called the Senegalese...
. There he prepared for the entrance exams to the École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
, meanwhile receiving his license and maîtrise level degrees in philosophy at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. At the École Normale Supérieure he studied with Althusser and Derrida. After receiving his agrégation in Philosophy (1978), Diagne spent a year at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in an exchange program. In 1982 he defended a doctoral thesis in mathematics at Université Paris I, where, in 1988, he also completed his doctorat d’Etat, under the direction of Jean-Toussaint Desanti, on George Boole
George Boole
George Boole was an English mathematician and philosopher.As the inventor of Boolean logic—the basis of modern digital computer logic—Boole is regarded in hindsight as a founder of the field of computer science. Boole said,...
’s algebra of logic.
In 1982 Diagne returned to his native country to teach philosophy at Cheikh Anta Diop University
Cheikh Anta Diop University
Cheikh Anta Diop University , also known as the University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60,000.-History:...
in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, where he became vice-dean of the College of Humanities. The former president of the Republic of Senegal, Abdou Diouf
Abdou Diouf
Abdou Diouf was the second President of Senegal, serving from 1981 to 2000. Diouf is notable both for coming to power by peaceful succession, and leaving willingly after losing the 2000 presidential election to Abdoulaye Wade...
, named him Counselor for Education and Culture, a position which he held from 1993 to 1999.
Diagne is co-director of Éthiopiques, a Senegalese journal of literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and philosophy and a member of the editorial committees of numerous scholarly journals
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
, including the Revue d’histoire des mathématiques, Présence africaine
Présence Africaine
Présence africaine is a panafrican quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, Présence africaine expanded to include a publishing house and a bookstore on the rue des Écoles in the Latin Quarter of Paris...
, and Public Culture
Public Culture
Public Culture is a reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal of cultural studies, founded in 1988 by anthropologists Carol Breckenridge and Arjun Appadurai...
. He is a member of the scientific committees of Diogenes
Diogenes
Diogenes is a Greek name shared by several important historical figures:*Diogenes of Sinope , better known as Diogenes the Cynic or simply Diogenes, philosopher...
(published by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
’s International Counsel of Philosophy and Social Sciences), CODESRIA (Conseil pour le développement de la recherche en sciences sociales en Afrique), and of the African and Malagasy
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
Committee for Higher Education (CAMES), as well as UNESCO’s Council on the Future. He has been named by Le Nouvel observateur
Le Nouvel Observateur
Le Nouvel Observateur is a weekly French newsmagazine. Based in Paris, it is the most prominent French general information magazine in terms of audience and circulation ....
one of the 50 thinkers of our time. In October 2007 he was invited to participate in a white paper commission on the defense and national security in the French Senate in Paris.
His main publications include two books on George Boole, a book on the Indian poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal
Muhammad Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal , commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal , was a poet and philosopher born in Sialkot, then in the Punjab Province of British India, now in Pakistan...
, Islam et société ouverte. La fidélité et le mouvement dans la pensée de Muhammad Iqbal (2001) and an examination of Senghor’s philosophy, Léopold Sédar Senghor. L’Art africain comme philosophie (2007). He is currently working on a book on Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and philosophy: Comment philosopher en Islam.
Having taught for several years at in the departments of Philosophy and Religion at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
(2002 to 2007), Diagne is currently Professor of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Philosophy, at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Selected Books
- Léopold Sédar Senghor: l’art africain comme philosophie. Paris: Riveneuve Editions, 2007.
- 100 mots pour dire l’islam. Paris: Maisonneuve et Larose, 2002.
- Islam et société ouverte, la fidélité et le mouvement dans la pensée de Muhammad Iqbal. Paris : Maisonneuve & Larose, 2001.
- Logique pour philosophes. Dakar: Nouvelles Editions Africaines du Sénégal, 1991 .
- Boole, l’oiseau de nuit en plein jour. Paris: Belin, 1989.