Andrei Marga, Romanian philosopher, political scientist, politician
Andrei Marga (Romanian pronunciation: [anˈdrej ˈmarɡa]; born 22 May 1946) is a Romanian philosopher, political scientist, and politician. Rector – for the second time – of the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, he was a member of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNŢ-CD), serving as Minister of Education in the Democratic Convention (CDR) coalition governments of Victor Ciorbea, Radu Vasile, and Mugur Isărescu (1997–2000). In January 2001, he replaced Ion Diaconescu as PNŢ-CD president, but resigned from this position in July 2001, amid political tensions within the party. He subsequently formed a new political party, more specifically the Popular Christian Party later during the same year. Later on, he became a member of the National Liberal Party (PNL).
Marga has authored many volumes on political science, political philosophy, and the philosophy of history. His work touches a variety of subjects, including the philosophical theories of Herbert Marcuse and Jürgen Habermas, the nature of positivism, and trends in contemporary philosophy. He has also lectured on specific subjects, such as the philosophic foundations of transition from Communism to a market economy, and the evolution of principles guiding European integration. In later works, he approached topics pertaining to the philosophy of religion, and to the status of religion in the age of globalization. In 2005, Andrei Marga received the Herder Prize in recognition of his contributions.