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

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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 Cohens 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.

Reviews

[A] short, elegant, and very clearly written volume ... It is a balanced and accurate assessment of the complexities of Cohens entire contribution to political philosophy. It will be especially useful for those who are aware of only one or two phases in Cohens development, and seek an overview of more. It is, therefore, a highly valuable contribution. * Marx and Philosophy Review of Books *
On the whole, The Political Philosophy of G.A. Cohen is a clearly written, insightful contribution to Cohen scholarship that identifies connections and tensions even Cohens close readers may have missed. I highly recommend it. * The Philosophical Quarterly *
This is a successful publication. With its concise presentation and sharp contributions, it is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the different elements in Cohens writings. * Slagmark (Bloomsbury translation) *
In his book The Political Philosophy of G.A. Cohen: Back to Socialist Basics Nicholas Vrousalis (Leiden University) provides a thorough and complex reconstruction of G.A. Cohens political philosophical project. Understanding Cohen to be engaged in secular egalitarian theodicy, Vrousalis threads together the major dimensions of Cohens thought to find unity in Cohens philosophy. The book and the interview take up the concepts central to Cohens work historical materialism, freedom, equality, exploitation, community, and socialism in a way that explores the tensions, resonances, and changes that persist across Cohens writings. * New Books Network *
Nicholas Vrousalis provides a hugely engaging and beautifully clear reconstruction of G.A. Cohens lifelong attempt to rethink the basics of the socialist tradition. The reader emerges with an accurate understanding of Cohens views, some nuanced critical concerns about them, and a genuine sense of why those views might be important. -- David Leopold, Associate Professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford, UK
G.A. Cohen is widely recognised as having been one of the most accomplished political philosophers of recent decades. His works display a prodigious analytical talent being brought to bear on the clarification and criticism of leading writings on an impressively wide range of subjects, from Marxs historical materialism to leading conceptions of distributive justice to cultural conservatism. In this highly original book, Nicholas Vrousalis skilfully and persuasively applies the same philosophical approach to the task of demonstrating the presence of a unifying substantive commitment to a fully emancipated society - that underlies Cohens diversely focused works. -- Hillel Steiner, Emeritus Professor of Political Philosophy and Honorary Research Fellow, University of Manchester, UK

Author Bio

Nicholas Vrousalis is Assistant Professor in Political Philosophy at Leiden University, The Netherlands.