Born in 1943, Baydoun is a Lebanese sociologist and writer. He was a professor of sociology at the Institute of Social Sciences at the Lebanese University. He studied in his hometown where he graduated from the Lebanese University with a degree in philosophy. His first book was published in 1988, followed by three other books over the following decade.  He has published numerous articles in French and Arabic and served as a founding member of several cultural magazines including Al-Marqab and Kalamon, both published in Lebanon. He was formerly the President of the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO and a contributing author for the UNDP’s National Human Development Report in Lebanon (2006-2008).