G. A. Cohen (original) (raw)

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Canadian philosopher (1941–2009)

"Gerald Cohen" redirects here. For the American composer and cantor, see Gerald Cohen (composer).

G. A. CohenFBA
Born Gerald Allan Cohen(1941-04-14)14 April 1941Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died 5 August 2009(2009-08-05) (aged 68)Oxford, England
Other names Jerry Cohen
Spouses Margaret Pearce ​ ​(m. 1965; div. 1996)​ Michèle Jacottet ​(m. 1999)​
Academic background
Alma mater McGill UniversityNew College, Oxford
Academic advisors Gilbert Ryle[1]
Influences Louis Althusser Isaiah Berlin Karl Marx John Rawls Gilbert Ryle
Academic work
Discipline Philosophy
Sub-discipline Political philosophyethicsphilosophy of historysocial theory
School or tradition Analytical Marxismleft-libertarianism[2]egalitarianism
Institutions University College, LondonAll Souls College, Oxford
Doctoral students Cécile Fabre Will Kymlicka Michael Otsuka Seana Shiffrin
Notable students Simon Caney Jonathan Wolff
Notable works Karl Marx's Theory of History (1978)[3]
Notable ideas Distinction between a strict and lax interpretation of the difference principle[4]egalitarian ethos[5]
Influenced Alan Carter Will Kymlicka John McMurtry Larry Temkin Michael Otsuka John Roemer Euclid Tsakalotos Jonathan Wolff

Gerald Allan Cohen FBA ( KOH-ən; 14 April 1941 – 5 August 2009) was a Canadian political philosopher who held the positions of Quain Professor of Jurisprudence, University College London and Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory, All Souls College, Oxford. He was known for his work on Marxism, and later, egalitarianism and distributive justice in normative political philosophy.

Born into a communist Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec, on 14 April 1941,[6] Cohen was educated at McGill University (BA, philosophy and political science) in his hometown and the University of Oxford (BPhil, philosophy), where he studied under Gilbert Ryle (and was also taught by Isaiah Berlin).[6]

Cohen was assistant lecturer (1963–1964), lecturer (1964–1979), then reader (1979–1984) in the Department of Philosophy at University College London, before being appointed to the Chichele chair at Oxford in 1985. Several of his students, such as Christopher Bertram, Simon Caney, Alan Carter, Cécile Fabre, Will Kymlicka, John McMurtry, David Leopold, Michael Otsuka, Seana Shiffrin, and Jonathan Wolff went on to be important moral and political philosophers, while another, Ricky Gervais, has a successful career in comedy.[_citation needed_]

Cohen was a proponent of analytical Marxism[7] and a founding member of the September Group. His 1978 work Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence[8] defends an interpretation of Karl Marx's historical materialism its critics often call technological determinism.[9] In Self-Ownership, Freedom, and Equality, Cohen offers an extensive moral argument in favour of socialism, contrasting his views with those of John Rawls and Robert Nozick by articulating an extensive critique of the Lockean principle of self-ownership as well as the use of that principle to defend right as well as left-libertarianism. In If You're an Egalitarian, How Come You're So Rich? (which covers the topic of his Gifford Lectures), Cohen addresses the question of what egalitarian political principles imply for the personal behaviour of those who hold them.

Cohen was known for his flamboyant style during philosophical debates. According to his best friend, the philosopher Gerald Dworkin, "Nothing was too inappropriate, private, bizarre, or embarrassing to be suddenly brought into the conversation".[10] Cohen also abjured technology, a stance he called "technological conservatism". His wife, Michelle, answered all his email.

Cohen was close friends with Marxist political philosopher Marshall Berman.

Cohen died on 5 August 2009.

  1. ^ Rosen, Michael (2010). "Jerry Cohen: An Appreciation". Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University. p. 2. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  2. ^ Vallentyne, Peter (2014). "Libertarianism". In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University.
  3. ^ Rosen, Michael (2010). "Jerry Cohen: An Appreciation". Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University. p. 5. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  4. ^ Frank Vandenbroucke, Social Justice and Individual Ethics in an Open Society: Equality, Responsibility, and Incentives, Springer, 2012, p. 149.
  5. ^ Alexander Kaufman (ed.), Distributive Justice and Access to Advantage, Cambridge University Press, 2014, p. 52.
  6. ^ a b O'Grady, Jane (10 August 2009). "GA Cohen". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "The Labour Theory of Value and the Concept of Exploitation".
  8. ^ Cohen, Gerald Allan (1978). Karl Marx's theory of history : a defence. Oxford : Clarendon Press; New York : Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-827196-3 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Singer, Peter (2000). Marx: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-19-285405-6.
  10. ^ Dworkin, Gerald (14 August 2009). "In Memoriam G. A. (Jerry) Cohen". 3 Quarks Daily. Archived from the original on 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
Academic offices
Preceded byCharles Taylor Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory 1985–2008 Succeeded byJeremy Waldron
Preceded byJános Kornai Tanner Lecturer on Human Valuesat Stanford University 1990–1991 Succeeded byCharles Taylor
Preceded by Gifford Lecturer at theUniversity of Edinburgh 1995–1996 Succeeded byRichard Sorabji
Preceded byRoss Harrison Quain Professor of Jurisprudence 2008–2009 Succeeded byJohn Tasioulas
Awards
Preceded byRudolf Bahro Deutscher Memorial Prize 1979 Succeeded byBob Rowthorn