Richard Francis Tuck (born 9 January 1949) is a British academic, political theorist and historian of political thought.

Life and career

Tuck was born in 1949, the son of Professor J. P. and Jane Tuck and the younger brother of Anthony Tuck. He was educated at the

Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne The Royal Grammar School (RGS), Newcastle upon Tyne, is a Mixed-sex education, coeducational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for pupils aged between 7 and 18 years. Founded in 1525 by Thomas Horsley, the Mayor of Newca ...

, and

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

, where he read history and graduated with BA and PhD degrees. He taught at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

from 1973 to 1995, where he was a Fellow of Jesus College. He then joined the faculty of

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 ...

, where he teaches as the Frank G. Thomson Professor of Government. He was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in t ...

in 1994.

Views on Brexit and the European Union

In his opinion-article, "The Left Case for Brexit" published by the ''

Dissent Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...

'', Tuck maintains that "the left’s natural position should still be one of opposition to the EU," and that Brexit would open up political possibilities for the Left. In a 17 July, 2017 talk at the

Policy Exchange Policy Exchange is a British conservative think tank based in London. In 2007 it was described in ''The Daily Telegraph'' as "the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right". Policy Exchange is a registered charity; it most ...

entitled "Brexit: A Prize in Reach for the Left," Tuck advocates for a "genuine Brexit followed by a Labour government" that would both tactically "stall the movement towards independence in Scotland" and politically allow Britain to enact leftist policies, free from the "far-reaching restrictions which the EU imposes on traditional socialism." Tuck also co-authored a November 2017 "Brexit Proposal" with Dr. Christopher Bickerton of Cambridge University. Tuck favours historical international organisations such as the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...

(ILO) and domestic institutions such as the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

(NHS), which promote socialist goals without compromising democratic processes. In contrast, he cautions against European Union (EU)'s imposition of neo-liberal structures that meet right-wing goals. Tuck criticises the technocratic elite, and regards Brexit referendum as the expression of democratic sovereignty.

Books

*''Natural Rights Theories: Their Origin and Development''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979 *''Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989 *''Philosophy and Government 1572–1651''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993 *''Rights of War and Peace: Political Thought and the International Order from Grotius to Kant''. Oxford: University of Oxford Press, 1999 *''Free Riding''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2008 *''The Sleeping Sovereign''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016

Interviews

* "Democratic Sovereignty and Brexit: A Conversation with Richard Tuck on Political Theory and Practice" ''International Critical Thought'' Volume 8, issue 4, 2018. * "Richard Tuck on Free Riding" ''Philosophy Bites'' podcast, Feb. 10. 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuck, Richard 1949 births Living people Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Academics of the University of Cambridge Harvard University faculty British expatriate academics in the United States Fellows of the British Academy Historians of political thought