Elias Farah (1927– December 6th, 2013) was a Syrian writer and thinker born in the city of Jisr al-Shughur. He came from a Christian Orthodox family and spent much of his early life in Aleppo. Upon graduating with a degree in literature from Syrian University, he started his teaching career in Aleppo. Later on, Farah pursued his graduate studies at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, where he studied under professor Jean Piaget and earned a doctorate in education and psychology in 1964. In 1947, he became one of the founding members of the Syrian Ba'ath Party. He was also was one of the closest companions of the party founder, Michel Aflaq.