The Political Philosophy of G. A. Cohen: Back to Socialist Basics

by Nicholas Vrousalis

Gerald Allan Cohen was Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at All Souls College, Oxford for 23 years and is considered one of the most influential political philosophers of the past quarter-century. He died in 2009.

The Political Philosophy of G. A. Cohen is the first full-length study on the unity of Cohen's political thought. It proceeds thematically, studying a range of fundamental concepts such as materialism, freedom, equality, fraternity and the market, all the while revisiting Cohen's seminal treatment of Marx, Nozick, Dworkin, Rawls and Sen.

Nicholas Vrousalis brings together the diverse strands of argument in Cohen's thought and critically reconstructs them in the context of contemporary debates in social and political theory. This reconstruction highlights common threads running through Cohen's numerous contributions to contemporary philosophy, without underrating the inevitable tensions between them.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2015

Reviews

[Razz Father · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the content of this book as an introduction to Cohen’s thought, didn’t give it 5 stars because I wish Vrousalis and provided a bit more context of the debates Cohen was in. His writing could be clearer as well, but overall, enjoyed it a lot and think it’s a good book for thinking about what the political ethics socialism should be grounded in.