Brian Barry, (7 August 1936 – 10 March 2009) was a
moral and
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...
philosopher. He was educated at the
Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...
, obtaining the degrees of B.A. and D.Phil. under the direction of
H. L. A. Hart
Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart (18 July 190719 December 1992), known simply as H. L. A. Hart, was an English legal philosopher. He was Professor of Jurisprudence (University of Oxford), Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University an ...
.
Along with
David Braybrooke,
Richard E. Flathman, Felix Oppenheim, and
Abraham Kaplan, he is widely credited with having fused
analytic philosophy and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
. Barry also fused political theory and
social choice theory
Social choice theory or social choice is a theoretical framework for analysis of combining individual opinions, preferences, interests, or welfares to reach a ''collective decision'' or ''social welfare'' in some sense.Amartya Sen (2008). "Soci ...
and was a persistent critic of
public choice theory.
Life
During his early career, Barry held teaching posts at the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
,
Keele University
Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...
and the
University of Southampton
, mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour
, type = Public research university
, established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...
. In 1965 he was appointed a teaching fellow at
University College, Oxford
University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...
and then
Nuffield College. In 1969 he became a professor at
Essex University
The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Ess ...
.
Barry was
Lieber Professor Emeritus of Political Philosophy at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
. He was awarded the
Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science
), location=Uppsala, Sweden, date=
The Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science ( sv, Skytteanska priset) was established in 1995 by the Johan Skytte Foundation at Uppsala University. The foundation itself goes back to the donation in 1622 from J ...
in 2001. Barry also taught at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, in the departments of philosophy and political science. During this time he edited the journal ''
Ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...
'', helping raise its publication standards. Under his editorship, it became perhaps the leading journal for moral and political philosophy.
He was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
in 1978.
Barry was a Distinguished Supporter of the
British Humanist Association
Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious b ...
, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the
University of York in 2006.
In 2014, the British Academy, in partnership with Cambridge University Press and the ''
British Journal of Political Science'', founded an annual prize in political science in his honour: the
Brian Barry Prize in Political Science The British Academy presents 18 awards and medals to recognise achievement in the humanities and social sciences.
Overview
The British Academy currently awards 18 prizes and medals:
General awards:
* British Academy Medal (for academic research ...
.
Selected publications
* ''Why Social Justice Matters'' (Polity 2005)
* ''Culture & Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism'' (2001)
* ''Justice as Impartiality'' (1995)
* ''Liberty and Justice: Essays in Political Theory'' (1991)
* ''Theories of Justice'' (Berkeley, 1989)
* ''Democracy, Power, and Justice: Essays in Political Theory'' (Oxford, 1989)
* ''The Liberal Theory of Justice'' (1973)
* ''Sociologists, Economists and Democracy'' (1970)
* ''Political Argument'' (1965, Reissue 1990)
Further reading
* ''Justice & Democracy: Essays for Brian Barry'', edited by Keith Dowding, Robert E. Goodin, and
Carole Pateman
Carole Pateman (born 11 December 1940) is a feminist and political theorist. She is known as a critic of liberal democracy and has been a member of the British Academy since 2007.
Biography
Pateman was born in Maresfield, Sussex, England. Ed ...
(2004)
* ''Multiculturalism Reconsidered: 'Culture and Equality' and Its Critics'', edited by Paul Kelly (2002)
* ''Impartiality, Neutrality and Justice: Re-Reading Brian Barry's 'Justice as Impartiality', edited by Paul Kelly (2001)
References
External links
Columbia profileObituary, ''The Guardian''Obituary, ''The Times'' rchived by Wayback Machinebr>
The Brian Barry Literary ArchiveA 'work in progress' site for Brian Barry's unpublished writings.
*
Brian Barry, British Political Philosopher' by The Editors of
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
rchival content - originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year, originally published on 14 May 2009*
Brian Barry is dead' remembrance from
Harry Brighouse
Harry Brighouse is a British political philosopher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research interests include the relationship between education and liberalism. His work on this topic has been widely cited by broadsheet newspapers, ...
on the
Crooked Timber
Crooked Timber is a left-of-centre political blog run by a group of (mostly) academics from and working in several different nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and Singapore. The na ...
group blog.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Brian
20th-century British philosophers
21st-century British philosophers
Academics of the London School of Economics
Academics of the University of Birmingham
Academics of Keele University
Academics of the University of Southampton
Academics of the University of Essex
Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford
British humanists
Columbia University faculty
Critics of multiculturalism
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellows of the British Academy
British political philosophers
Scholars of nationalism
1936 births
2009 deaths
British social commentators
Fellows of Nuffield College, Oxford