Joshua Cohen ( ; born 1951) is an
American philosopher specializing in
political philosophy
Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and Political legitimacy, legitimacy of political institutions, such as State (polity), states. This field investigates different ...
. He has taught at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
(
MIT) and is currently a member of the faculty at
Apple University and the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
.
Education and career
Cohen earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in philosophy from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
in 1973, and earned his
Ph.D. at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
under the direction of
John Rawls in 1979. He taught at
MIT from 1979 until 2007, when he moved to
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. At Stanford, he was Marta Sutton Weeks Professor of Ethics in Society (2008–2014) and professor of political science, philosophy, and law (2006–2014) At Stanford, Cohen was also one of the program leaders (along with
Larry Diamond and
Terry Winograd) for the Program on Liberation Technologies at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Cohen became part of the faculty of
Apple University in 2011, joining full-time on October 15, 2014 and resigning from Stanford. He also spends one day a week running a law and philosophy workshop series at the University of California, Berkeley.
He has published articles and books in
political philosophy
Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and Political legitimacy, legitimacy of political institutions, such as State (polity), states. This field investigates different ...
, including
deliberative democracy
Deliberative democracy or discursive democracy is a form of democracy in which deliberation is central to decision-making. Deliberative democracy seeks quality over quantity by limiting decision-makers to a smaller but more representative sample ...
, and
global justice, as well as such topics as freedom of expression, electoral finance, and new models of democratic governance. His 2012 Comte Lectures at the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
discussed the issues he teaches about: mobile for development and human-centered design.
[ ]
Since 1991, Cohen has served as editor of ''
Boston Review'', with Deb Chasman joining as coeditor in 2002.
Books
*
*
*
* with
Paul Q. Hirst,
Claus Offe,
Jane Mansbridge,
Andrew Szasz,
Andrew Levine,
Philippe C. Schmitte,
Wolfgang Streeck,
Ira Katznelson,
Ellen M. Immergut,
Iris Marion Young, and
Heinz Klug.
*
*
Originally an essay (pdf).*
*
*
*
See also
*
American philosophy
*
List of American philosophers
American philosophy is the activity, corpus, and tradition of philosophers affiliated with the United States. The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' notes that while it lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can neverthe ...
References
External links
*
Video debates featuring Cohenon
Bloggingheads.tv
* 2011 Dewey Lecture at University of Chicago
Joshua Cohen PlaylistAppearance on WMBR's
'' radio show April 2, 2003
Joshua Cohen's 2012 Comte LecturesOn mobile-for-development and human-centered design.
1951 births
Living people
20th-century American philosophers
American political philosophers
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
Stanford University Department of Philosophy faculty
Yale College alumni
Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
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