The Philosopher

David E. Cooper

The face

The background

Nationality:
British
Schools:
Existentialism
Branchs:
Philosophy of language, Philosophy of education, Ethics, Aesthetics, Environmental philosophy, Animal ethics, Philosophy of technology, Philosophy of religion, History of Western philosophy, History of Asian philosophy, Modern European Philosophy, Environmental and Buddhist aesthetics, Music and nature, The relationship of beauty and virtue, Cultures of food, The significance of gardens, Daoism, Our relationship to animals, The notion of mystery, Philosophical pessimism and misanthropy

The synopsis

David Edward Cooper, born in 1942, is a British philosopher and writer, currently an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. He was educated at Highgate School and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he began his academic career in 1967. He subsequently taught at universities in the US, Canada, Malta, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, before his professorship at Durham from 1986 to 2008. Cooper has held leadership roles in several philosophical societies, including the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association. He is also involved with the charity Project Sri Lanka. His philosophical interests are broad, encompassing philosophy of language, education, ethics, aesthetics, environmental philosophy, animal ethics, philosophy of technology, religion, and the history of philosophy, with particular focus on Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein. More recently, his work has explored environmental and Buddhist aesthetics, music, nature, gardens, Daoism, our relationship with animals, and philosophical pessimism. Cooper is also an author of four novels set in Sri Lanka.

The works