Yevhen Bystrytskyi was born to the family of a military engineer-surveyor and a secondary school teacher in the city of Pļaviņas (Latvia) on January 2, 1948. In 1976, he graduated from the School of Philosophy of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State University. In 1981, he defended his PhD thesis (“Scientific Knowledge and the Problem of Understanding”), and in 1991 — his doctoral thesis (“Personality in the World of Culture”). Since 1979, he worked at the Institute of Philosophy of H. S. Skovoroda of NAS of Ukraine. Since 1991, he headed the Department of Philosophy of Culture, Ethics and Aesthetics. In 1993-1998, he headed a section in the Political Thought journal. In 1994-1998, he became the founder and the first President of the Ukrainian Philosophical Foundation, and, since 1998, he has been the Executive Director of the International Foundation Renaissance, which is part of the network of G. Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

Bystrytskyi is a member of the Board for National Unity under the President of Ukraine.

The main areas of Bystrytskyi’s research are gnoseology, and human comprehension, human existence in the world of culture. He is an author of over 150 research papers, including two individual ones (Scientific Knowledge and the Problem of Understanding. K., 1986; Phenomenon of Personality: Worldview, Existence, Culture. K., 1991); and six collaborative monographs (Human Existence in Culture: Attempt of Ontological Approach. K., 1992; Ontological Issues of Culture. K., 1994; Politology of Postcommunism. K., 1995; Phenomenon of Ukrainian Culture: Methodological Principles of Comprehension. K., 1996; Demons of Peace and Gods of War. Social Conflicts of Postcommunist Era. K., 1997; Idea of Culture: Challenges of Modern Civilization. K., 2003). It is under Bystrytskyi’s guidance that the Department of Philosophy of Culture, Ethics and Aesthetics of the Institute of Philosophy has conducted the following scientific research: “Culture as Politics: Fundamental Values and Practices of Government”, “Fundamentals of Modernizing Ukraine’s State and Society”, “Globalization as a Civilizational and Cultural Phenomenon”, “Modern Culture and the Civilizational Choice of the XXI Century”, “The Phenomenon of European Culture and National Identity”.

As the Executive Director of the International Foundation “Renaissance”, Bystrytskyi actively supports the development of a sustainable self-organized civil society in Ukraine with the nationwide implementation of external independent assessment for admission to higher educational institutions, free legal aid, substitution supportive therapy and palliative care; support of public campaigns for free and fair elections, access to information and development of laws regulating the activity of NGOs. The Foundation uses the pre-election factors and European integration instruments to promote changes in the key areas that make the transition to democracy irreversible — in the field of human rights, justice and non-discrimination, fighting corruption, transparency and accountability of the state policy.