French philosopher. He studied philosophy and science at École Normale Supérieure and the Sorbonne in Paris. His early research involved the study of political violence and empiricism, especially the works of John Locke and David Hume. He was Director of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts from 1989 to 1997. In 2000, Michaud partnered with Jean-Jacques Aillagon to establish the Université de toutes les savoires, a French government initiative to disseminate information on new scientific advances.

Michaud has published widely on the relationships of the arts and culture in a globalized, technological world. In 2007 he published his article entitled Ce nouveau fondamentalisme moral qui menace la société française.

His most recent publications are:Bourin éditeur, 2009, NiL editions, 2012. , Broché, 2014