Robert Paul Wolff
Robert Paul Wolff is a
radical twentieth centurypolitical philosopher who criticizes both
conservative and
liberal currents of thought.
Wolff is most widely known outside professional
philosophy for his
advocacy of
unanimous consent democracy, a concept on which he published several books. These include
The Poverty of Liberalism (ISBN 0807005835), which pointed out the inconsistencies rife in twentieth century
liberal and
conservative doctrines. In this text, Wolff takes
John Stuart Mill's seminal works,
On Liberty and
Principles of Political Economy as starting points. Also widely read is
In Defense of Anarchism (ISBN 0520215737). He extended his advocacy of
democracy to university governance in
The Ideal of the University (Boston: Beacon, 1971, ISBN 0807031895), in which he argues that universities should be governed by faculty and students.
Within the philosophy profession, Wolff is better known for his
Kant scholarship, particularly his books
Kant's Theory of Mental Activity: A Commentary on the Transcendental Analytic of the Critique of Pure Reason and
The Autonomy of Reason: A Commentary on Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (ISBN 0061317926). He is also a noted commentator on the works of
Karl Marx, where his works include "Understanding Marx: A Reconstruction and Critique of Capital" (ISBN 0691076782) and "Moneybags Must Be So Lucky: On the Structure of Capital" (ISBN 0870236164 ), an analysis of the rhetorical and literary techniques employed by Marx in Das Kapital. His textbook
About Philosophy (ISBN 0130853933) is used widely in introductory college philosophy courses.
Wolff is also distinguished as a white man who transitioned from the philosophy department to the department of
Afro-American studies of the
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, which is chronicled and discussed in his book
Autobiography of an Ex-White Man: Learning a New Master Narrative for America (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2005, ISBN 1580461808).
In 1990, Wolff founded
University Scholarships for South African Students, an organization devoted to promoting opportunities in higher education within
South Africa for disadvantaged South African students. Since its creation, USSAS has assisted in providing funding and educational opportunities for thousands of students in South Africa. The program is, in many ways, a realization of the democratic values about which Wolff has written for much of his career.
