Introduction 1. Historical Materialism 2. Freedom 3. Equality 4. Exploitation 5. Community 6. Socialism and the Market Coda Bibliography Index
The first comprehensive survey of G. A. Cohen's diverse and influential work in moral and political philosophy.
Nicholas Vrousalis is Assistant Professor in Political Philosophy at Leiden University, The Netherlands.
[A] short, elegant, and very clearly written volume ... It is a
balanced and accurate assessment of the complexities of Cohen’s
entire contribution to political philosophy. It will be especially
useful for those who are aware of only one or two phases in Cohen’s
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 Cohen’s 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 Cohen’s 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. Cohen’s political
philosophical project. Understanding Cohen to be engaged in
“secular egalitarian theodicy,” Vrousalis threads together the
major dimensions of Cohen’s thought to find unity in Cohen’s
philosophy. The book and the interview take up the concepts central
to Cohen’s work – historical materialism, freedom, equality,
exploitation, community, and socialism – in a way that explores the
tensions, resonances, and changes that persist across Cohen’s
writings.
*New Books Network*
Nicholas Vrousalis provides a hugely engaging and beautifully clear
reconstruction of G.A. Cohen’s lifelong attempt to rethink the
basics of the socialist tradition. The reader emerges with an
accurate understanding of Cohen’s 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 Marx’s 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
Cohen’s diversely focused works.
*Hillel Steiner, Emeritus Professor of Political Philosophy and
Honorary Research Fellow, University of Manchester, UK*
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