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Philosopher

Cornel West

Political Philosophy

Cornel West, born Cornel Ronald West in 1953, is an American philosopher, theologian, activist and public intellectual working in the traditions of pragmatism, existentialism and Africana philosophy alongside a persistent Christian socialist commitment. He is best known for his 1993 book Race Matters, which examines the roles of race, class and democracy in American life, and for a long career as a public voice on racial justice, drawing on the pragmatist tradition of John Dewey and William James while insisting philosophy remain engaged with lived political struggle. West has taught at Harvard, Princeton and Union Theological Seminary among other institutions and has combined academic philosophy with sustained activism, including a 2024 independent campaign for President of the United States.

Facts
Birth Year
1953 1
Birth Date
1953-06-02 1
Notable Publication
Race Matters (1993) 1
Birthplace
Tulsa, Oklahoma 1
Tradition
Neopragmatism, democratic socialism, the black church tradition 1
Classification
Nationality
United States 1
Tradition
Tradition (category)
Pragmatism 1
Connections

In Branch

Ethics, Branches of Philosophy
Source Cornel West (Wikipedia)
Philosophy of Religion, Branches of Philosophy
Source Cornel West (Wikipedia)
Political Philosophy, Branches of Philosophy
Source Cornel West (Wikipedia)

In Tradition

Pragmatism, Schools of Philosophy
In the Other Atlases

Nationality

United States

Also in History Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Originated In

United States

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Cornel West (Wikipedia)Lead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, theologian, activist, and public intellectual.
Sources
1. Cornel West (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Early life and education section, first sentence (birth date)
    West was born on June 2, 1953, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and grew up in Sacramento, California, where he graduated from John F. Kennedy High School.
  • Early life and education section, first sentence (birthplace)
    West was born on June 2, 1953, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and grew up in Sacramento, California, where he graduated from John F. Kennedy High School.
  • Lead section, second paragraph, sentence on his most influential books
    Among his most influential books are Race Matters (1993) and Democracy Matters (2004).
  • Lead section, first paragraph, sentence on his intellectual traditions
    A socialist, West draws intellectual contributions from multiple traditions, including Christianity, the black church, democratic socialism, left-wing populism, neopragmatism, and transcendentalism.
  • Lead section
    is an American philosopher
  • Lead section, first sentence
    Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, theologian, activist, and public intellectual.
  • In Branch: Political Philosophy, Infobox: main_interests
    Political philosophy, philosophy of religion, ethics, race (classification of human beings), race, caste, democracy, liberation theology
  • In Branch: Philosophy of Religion, Infobox: main_interests
    Political philosophy, philosophy of religion, ethics, race (classification of human beings), race, caste, democracy, liberation theology
  • In Branch: Ethics, Infobox: main_interests
    Political philosophy, philosophy of religion, ethics, race (classification of human beings), race, caste, democracy, liberation theology
View the Source
Wikidata: Cornel West
Wikidata Q712469, class allow-list match, case-insensitive label variant (w-bbfill-smallsix2-0926/resolve_ci.ps1)View the Source
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