THanasis Papadopoulos

Thanasis Th. Papadopoulos (1921-1985) was one of the most significant Greek intellectuals of the 20th century, combining his extensive research work in the history of philosophy with a life of intense political activity and great self-sacrifice. He was born in Raidestos, Eastern Thrace, and grew up in conditions of poverty and displacement, with his teacher father instilling in him a passion for learning. Despite the immense obstacles of the time, he studied at the Faculty of Philosophy in Thessaloniki, actively participating in political and cultural activities. He graduated in 1945 and the same year went to Paris for postgraduate studies with the renowned scholarship from the French Institute, which empowered many progressive scientists. Almost immediately after completing his doctorate at the Sorbonne, on the topic "Plato's Sophist," he left for Budapest, trying to support the leftists of Greece from his own position. In 1953, he settled in Bucharest, where he intensified his research, translation, and writing work in Greek, French, and Romanian. He participated in the Greek edition of the works of Marx and Lenin, became an associate of the Institute of Philosophy of the Romanian Academy, and researched the history of ancient Greek philosophy, as well as the rich Romanian archives concerning Byzantium and the Ottoman period. Thus, he published the book "The Philosophy of Heraclitus" (1966), the first edition of "Democritus" (1969), a study on an unknown work of the Neoplatonic philosopher Helios (1969), the unpublished work "Prooimion to Logic" by Theophilos Corydalleus (1970), an unknown treatise by Ignatios Hortatzes (1970), among others. In 1970, he relocated to Sweden, where he took on the role of researcher and professor of Philosophy at Stockholm University, while also supporting anti-dictatorial organizations abroad. In 1971, he published the first translation into the modern Greek vernacular of "The Characters of Theophrastus." During that period, he also engaged in enlightening Greeks abroad with numerous lectures on language, history, and philosophy. In 1978, he published the book "Ideology and Philosophy of Democracy in Ancient Greece" and in 1983 the book "The Philosophical and Socio-political Views of Benjamin of Lesbos." In the last year of his life, he released "Modern Greek Philosophy from the 16th to the 18th Century."