G.A. Cohen and Marxism

Overview & Synopsis

The philosopher Gerald A. Cohen died on the 5th of August 2009. His contributions were at rst based on Marx's thought. He really appeared on the intellectual stage in 1978 with his Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence. Later on, he gradually departed from Marx's theory. He discussed the libertarian concept of self-ownership and the possibility of associating it with a Marxist approach, before entering into the normative debate around Rawls's Theory of Justice, while his Marxism was withering away. Based on Kantian philosophy, his critique of Rawls was that he allowed too little autonomy to individual choices. This paper discusses the consistency of Jerry Cohen's intellectual journey with regards to his relation with Marx's work.