Ideas that Matter: A Conference in Honor of the Work and Teaching of Joshua Cohen
Two-day conference: Friday, Jan. 20 and Saturday, Jan. 21
Joshua Cohen has made an enduring contribution to social and political thought across a wide range of topics. He is the author of path-setting papers on the nature of democracy, on the value of freedom of expression, and on the place of truth in political justification. He has also contributed to debates in the philosophy of social science and is the author of a long-awaited book on Rousseau's political thought, two books of collected essays, and many edited volumes. More than any other philosopher of his generation, he has connected his work in philosophy with empirical social science as well as the deepest problems of our contemporary world: wars abroad, inequality abroad and at home, democracy and disagreement, liberty and it's limits. Since 1991, he has co-edited The Boston Review with Deb Chasman and has edited a series of important debates on topics such as multiculturalism, campaign finance reform, and race and incarceration. As he steps back (a little way) from the traditional academy, in order to continue his work with Apple University, this conference assembles some of his many students and collaborators to celebrate him and his achievements, and to reflect on his contributions and influence in the academy and beyond.
Joshua Cohen is on the faculty at Apple University and Distinguished Senior Fellow in Law, Philosophy, and Political Science at University of California, Berkeley. A political philosopher, Cohen taught at MIT from 1977-2006 and at Stanford from 2006-2014. Cohen is author of Philosophy, Politics, Democracy; The Arc of the Moral Universe and Other Essays; and Rousseau: A Free Community of Equals. He is co-author (with Joel Rogers) of On Democracy and Associations and Democracy. Since 1991, Cohen has been editor (and then co-editor) of Boston Review.
Ideas that Matter is sponsored by the McCoy Center for Ethics in Society, the Humanities & Sciences Deans Office,the Senior Associate Dean for the Humanities and Arts, the Stanford Law School, the Political Science Department, and the Philosophy Department.
Presenter and commentator biographies.
