Gary Cox (born 1964, England) is a British philosopher and biographer and the author of several books on

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...

existentialism Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...

, general

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

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, concerns m ...

and

philosophy of sport Philosophy of sport is an area of philosophy that seeks to conceptually analyze issues of sport as human activity. These issues cover many areas, but fall primarily into five philosophical categories: metaphysics, ethics and moral philosophy, phil ...

. A Philosophy graduate of the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

, UK, in 1988, he was awarded his PhD in 1996 from the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, UK, for his thesis on Jean-Paul Sartre's theory of consciousness, freedom and

bad faith Bad faith (Latin: ''mala fides'') is a sustained form of deception which consists of entertaining or pretending to entertain one set of feelings while acting as if influenced by another."of two hearts ... a sustained form of deception whic ...

and is an honorary research fellow of that same university. His most notable works to date are ''The Sartre Dictionary'' (2008), ''How to Be an Existentialist, or How to Get Real, Get a Grip and Stop Making Excuses'' (2009), ''The God Confusion: Why Nobody Knows the Answer to the Ultimate Question'' (2013) and ''How to Be Good, or How to Be Moral and Virtuous in a Wicked World'' (2020). Cox's early publications reflect his research into both the philosophical, fictional and biographical writings of Jean-Paul Sartre, with his book, ''The Sartre Dictionary'', providing a comprehensive overview of Sartre's major works, ideas, influences and contemporaries. From 2009 onwards, with the publication of his best selling book to date, ''How to Be an Existentialist'', Gary Cox took the ideas of existentialism to a wider, non-specialist audience, emphasising the self-help and personal empowerment aspects of the theory. An attack on contemporary 'excuse culture', the work urges the reader to face the hard existential truths of the human condition and to take full responsibility for his or her inalienable freedom. ''How to Be an Existentialist'' has been cited in such diverse areas as existential counselling and management and leadership training. A tenth anniversary edition of the book with a new preface was published by Bloomsbury in 2019. In 2010, Cox continued his efforts to popularise philosophy in the UK with the publication of ''How to Be a Philosopher, or How to Be Almost Certain that Almost Nothing is Certain'', a beginners' guide to philosophy written in the same accessible, popular style as ''How to Be an Existentialist''. 2011 saw the publication of his ''Existentialist’s Guide to Death, the Universe and Nothingness'', a guide to key existentialist themes that, as its title suggests, is something of a homage to

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' developed into a " ...

. In 2013 Cox published ''The God Confusion'', a controversial book exploring questions concerning the idea and existence of God that is critical of both

theism Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to ...

and

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

and advocates

agnosticism Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

as the only tenable philosophical position.

Bloomsbury Publishing Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a U ...

released ''Deep Thought: 42 Fantastic Quotes that Define Philosophy'' in October 2015, and Cox's biography of Jean-Paul Sartre - ''Existentialism and Excess: The Life and Times of Jean-Paul Sartre'' - in September 2016. ''Cricket Ball: The Heart of the Game'' (Bloomsbury, October 2018) is an excursion into

object-oriented ontology In metaphysics, object-oriented ontology (OOO) is a 21st-century Heidegger-influenced school of thought that rejects the privileging of human existence over the existence of nonhuman objects.. This is in contrast to what it calls the "anthropocent ...

and the philosophy, politics,

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

and literature of sport. A celebration of the game of

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

, the book explores all aspects of the

cricket ball A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket. A cricket ball consists of a cork core wound with string then a leather cover stitched on, and manufacture is regulated by cricket law at first-class level. The trajectory of a crick ...

phenomenon, from its

ontology In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...

, iconic status, history, manufacture and future, to its complex, multifaceted, often controversial role during play. Cox's most recent book, ''How to Be Good, or How to Be Moral and Virtuous in a Wicked World'' (Bloomsbury, April 2020) completed his philosophical 'how to' trilogy, adding an exploration of

to that of general philosophy and existentialism. The book investigates the phenomenon of moral goodness and what, if anything, it is to be a good person and a paragon of

virtue Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...

. Part exploration of the age-old subject of

moral philosophy 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, concerns ma ...

, part personal development and improvement manual, ''How to Be Good'' is a journey through the often strange and surprising world of ethics. The book covers the moral theories of

Kantian ethics Kantian ethics refers to a Deontology, deontological ethical theory developed by Germans, German philosopher Immanuel Kant that is based on the notion that: "It is impossible to think of anything at all in the world, or indeed even beyond it, t ...

utilitarianism In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different charact ...

virtue theory Virtue ethics (also aretaic ethics, from Greek ἀρετή arete_(moral_virtue).html"_;"title="'arete_(moral_virtue)">aretḗ''_is_an_approach_to_ethics_that_treats_the_concept_of_virtue.html" ;"title="arete_(moral_virtue)">aretḗ''.html" ;" ...

and existentialism, as well as the controversial moral issues of

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

. The book delves into the meaning, achievability and reality of goodness through an examination of the work of major philosophical thinkers such as

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...

A. J. Ayer Sir Alfred Jules "Freddie" Ayer (; 29 October 1910 – 27 June 1989), usually cited as A. J. Ayer, was an English philosopher known for his promotion of logical positivism, particularly in his books '' Language, Truth, and Logic'' (1936) ...

Jeremy Bentham Jeremy Bentham (; 15 February 1748 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_February_1747.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 February 1747">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.htm ...

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

R. M. Hare Richard Mervyn Hare (21 March 1919 – 29 January 2002), usually cited as R. M. Hare, was a British moral philosopher who held the post of White's Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford from 1966 until 1983. He subseque ...

Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influent ...

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

G. E. Moore George Edward Moore (4 November 1873 – 24 October 1958) was an English philosopher, who with Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein and earlier Gottlob Frege was among the founders of analytic philosophy. He and Russell led the turn from ideal ...

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, Jean-Paul Sartre,

Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular, ...

Judith Jarvis Thomson Judith Jarvis Thomson (October 4, 1929November 20, 2020) was an American philosopher who studied and worked on ethics and metaphysics. Her work ranges across a variety of fields, but she is most known for her work regarding the thought experimen ...

and

Mary Warnock Helen Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, (née Wilson; 14 April 1924 – 20 March 2019) was an English philosopher of morality, education, and mind, and a writer on existentialism. She is best known for chairing an inquiry whose report formed the ...

.''How to Be Good, or How to Be Moral and Virtuous in a Wicked World'' by Gary Cox, Bloomsbury, 2020: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/how-to-be-good-9781350154599/

Works

*''How to Be Good, or How to Be Moral and Virtuous in a Wicked World'' - Bloomsbury, 2020. *''Cricket Ball: Heart of the Game'' - Bloomsbury, 2018. *''Existentialism and Excess: The Life and Times of Jean-Paul Sartre'' - Bloomsbury, 2016. *''Deep Thought: 42 Fantastic Quotes that Define Philosophy'' - Bloomsbury, 2015. *''The God Confusion: Why Nobody Knows the Answer to the Ultimate Question'' - Bloomsbury, 2013. *''The Existentialist’s Guide to Death, the Universe and Nothingness'' - Continuum, 2011. *''How to Be a Philosopher, or How to Be Almost Certain that Almost Nothing is Certain'' - Continuum, 2010. *''How to Be an Existentialist, or How to Get Real, Get a Grip and Stop Making Excuses'' - Continuum, 2009. *''Sartre and Fiction'' - Continuum, 2009. *''The Sartre Dictionary'' - Continuum, 2008. *''Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed'' - Continuum, 2006.

References

External links

Gary Cox's page on the Bloomsbury Books website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Gary 1964 births British philosophers Existentialists Living people Alumni of the University of Birmingham Philosophers of sport