Reza Davari Ardakani

is a prominent Iranian philosopher who was influenced by Martin Heidegger, and a distinguished emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Tehran. He is also the current president of the prestigious Iranian Academy of Sciences. He is known for his works on criticism of the Western Culture and thought.

Davari received primary and secondary education in Arkadan, and after leaving school became a teacher in 1951. In 1954, he entered the University of Tehran as an undergraduate, gaining a BA and in 1967 a PhD in Philosophy there. He is currently a professor of philosophy at Tehran University. From 1979 to 1981, he was dean at the faculty of literature and humanities, University of Tehran, and the head of Iranian National Commission for UNESCO from 1979 to 1982. Davari was the Editor-in-Chief of Farhang Journal.

Davari and Abdolkarim Soroush have engaged in a series of philosophical debates in post-revolutionary Iran. (Source: wikipedia.org)