Born in Bucharest, he studied Art History at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, where he taught from 1980 to 1982. Between 1991 and 1997 he was Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Department of Philosophy, University of Bucharest. After the fall of the communist regime he was appointed Minister of Culture (1989-1991) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997-1999). He held several other important public positions, such as: Member of the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives, Presidential Adviser on International Affairs, or Director of the Institute of History of Religion of the Romanian Academy. In 1994 he founded the New Europe College - Institute for Advanced Study in Bucharest, and was its first Rector until 2014. He is currently the President of the New Europe Foundation. He founded the cultural magazine Dilema Veche and is very active in contributing to this and other journals. The topics of his books range from art history, philosophy, and history of religion to theology and ethics, and include: Minima moralia, On Angels: Exposition for a Post-Modern World, Parabolele lui Iisus. Adevărul ca poveste / Jesus’ Parables. Truth as Story.