Comments on: Brian Barry is dead

By: Paul Anand

Paul Anand — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:58:00 +0000

I shall fondly remember the LSE rational choice group meetings held in Brian’s front room – the colleagues he attracted to those events reflected his own unique combination of sharp but very human engagement with ideas in and for the world.

By: Fred Rosen

Fred Rosen — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:49:43 +0000

Although Brian and I were contemporaries and knew each other for many years, we had moved academically and philosophically in different directions. By the time he had come to LSE, I had already moved from LSE to UCL to take on the task of editing The Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham. Our paths crossed again at the memorial meeting for Herbert Hart, where we spoke at length about Hart’s involvement in the Bentham Committee and the new edition. Brian expressed an interest in assisting us, and I warmly accepted his offer. He served for many years on the Bentham Committee and played a crucial role in helping us to secure grants and raise funds to keep the edition going. I last saw him in June 2008 at the annual meeting of the Bentham Committee, where, while frail, he maintained his interest and involvement.

During this period I also came to appreciate his fine mind and his capacity for critical argument. He and Anni attended a number of conferences sponsored by the International Society for Utilitarian Studies, and he served on the editorial board of Utilitas. In the midst of all of this academic activity, I was not only aware of the breadth of his reading and his sharp, philosophical mind, but also of his warmth, kindness, and sense of humanity. I shall miss him very much.

By: Ofer Cassif

Ofer Cassif — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:04:53 +0000

I’ve just come back to Israel from a visit to Spain and read the sad news about Brian. I first met Brian in 1996, being introduced to him by Avner de Shalit. After a few frustrating months as a PhD student at the Philosophy department, it was really refreshing to meet Brian and being “welcomed aboard to the Government department”, as he himself put it. Since that day we have developed real close relations which we kept for a few good years. I was fortunate not only to write my dissertation under his supervision, being his research assistant for two years at LSE and then invited to join him at Columbia University; it was also a (perhaps the) joy to enjoy his and Anni’s companionship in yet another love we share, apart from academic stuff, that is, good food and drinks (and a good laugh, of course). Beatriz, my spouse, and I will never forget that little humble kitchen at 14 Russell Chambers, where Anni easily dished out homemade delicacies while Brian lecturing on served cheeses and opening yet another bottle. Indeed, Brian could often be harsh perhaps even unpleasant, but on the whole that could not overshadow his kindness and sensitivity. I wish to give here only one short example to this kindheartedness of his, and of Anni’s. When Beatriz went to a few months family visit in Uruguay and I couldn’t afford to join her, it didn’t take Brian and Anni much time to finance a ticket for me, insisting that no refund is expected. Beatriz and I join Anni in her grief.

By: Anni Barry

Anni Barry — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:46:25 +0000

I can’t easily describe how much I have been moved by your recollections of Brian. The last three years have been difficult, and it’s been lovely to read your stories and to realise that the person you are remembering is the real Brian, my Brian,rather than the shadow of himself that we have been living with for the last threeyears. Brian loved his graduate students – several generations of them, who fortunately for us became our family. He was great at encouraging young people, and got a real kick out of you all
doing so well- you know who you are!

When you’re in London, come by 14 Russell Chambers

Much love
Anni

By: Barbara Atkinson

Barbara Atkinson — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:42:40 +0000

This is not a political science comment just personal. I knew Brian through Anni who has been a friend of mine since the 1970’s. I can rememeber being scared when meeting this great intellectual but I should have had nothing to fear. I found Brian kind and hospitable and the three times I visited in New York were a joy. Brian was what I would describe as a great trencherman and he cooked a mean roast. And served great cheese. The last time I saw him was at luch at my house in Brighton in January. I think he enjoyed it.

By: Barbara Atkinson

Barbara Atkinson — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:32:04 +0000

This is nothing to do with politiccal philisophy. I knew Brian through Anni who is a friend of mine since the 1970’s. I will remember being scared on first meeting this great intellect but over the years discovered how kind and welcoming he was. I visited them three times in New York and it was a joy. I will always remember that he was somone who was a great trencherman – he loved his food and was fantastic at making roasts. Always good cheese on offer too. Last saw him at a lunch at my house in Brighton in January. I hope he enjoyed it.

By: Pete Morriss

Pete Morriss — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:15:22 +0000

I’d like to add my expressions of sadness, and also add to the personal memories. None of the messages here so far have been contributed by an undergraduate student of Brian. I was a student at Essex when he arrived in 1969. His reputation preceded him: of someone who was ruthless in argument and did not suffer fools gladly. Needless to say, we were terrified. However, Brian turned out to be unfailingly kind and helpful, even to weaker students. I remember him expressing sadness, rather than annoyance, at a student whose exciting extra-curricular activities left him no time for academic work, with predictable results. Brian went out of his way to make time for all of us, and to encourage those whom he possibly could. He rescheduled a small-group course which I took with him to the evening, so that he could hold it in the less formal atmosphere of his house, to which he was happy to invite us. (In this he followed the lead of some of the more radical and student-centred staff at the time.) He also provided (perhaps unwisely) copious amounts of beer for us. I gathered later that his relations with some of the more senior members of the Department and University were sometimes acrimonious; but with students he was most generous with his time and did everything he possibly could to encourage our intellectual development. He was surprisingly reticent in expressing his own opinions, but excellent at instilling a sense of the excitement of intellectual work. He will be much missed as a colleague and writer; but also few of us have been able to live up to the example he set as a teacher.

By: Jules Coleman

Jules Coleman — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:57:10 +0000

PS. I did not mean to imply that Brian took over Ethics in the 80s. He had taken it over in the 70s I believe, but our relationship—first through the Journal then more generally—flourished through the 80s.

By: Jules Coleman

Jules Coleman — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:55:06 +0000

The comments reflect well who Brian was—sympathetic and critical, charming and biting – all at once, and all the time. He had a good feel for the human condition and displayed easily his own humanness—faults and all. We had a good relationship, close at times—mostly during the 80’s, when Brian took over Ethics and with the aid of others, especially Russell Hardin, transformed the journal. It had been a disaster and an embarrassment under its previous Editor with whom I had several unpleasant interactions. Brian left Chicago for Cal Tech and in effect created the philosophy program that survives (I believe) to this day. He has left a substantial mark on the field, in his work—the best of which to my mind is critical but substantively and illuminatingly so—his revival of Ethics, his creating the Cal Tech philosophy program, and in the many interactions, personally and professional, with philosophers and philosophically minded persons, the world round. A complex man, and a life well lived.

By: Charles Jones

Charles Jones — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:46:13 +0000

I knew Brian the scholar, the teacher, and the man. It is a sad time. I echo the sentiments of those who mentioned his kindness and generosity.
No political philosopher can match Brian Barry for the sheer entertainment value of just about anything he wrote. Brian’s writing reveals both his love of language and the clarity of his thinking. The argument is always logically organized and plain to see. And he made insightful contributions to so many areas of political theory – from social justice to democracy, from liberalism to environmental justice, from power to socialism, from rational choice to equality—always with state-of-the-art knowledge of a range of related fields and, of course, his own simple good sense.
The books are valuable literally from start to finish. He writes justly famous prefaces. (As is evident from the preface to Why Social Justice Matters, he was well aware of his reputation on this front.) Upon taking a new book of Brian’s in hand, one inevitably checks the back of the book, specifically the names in the index, to discover the identities of his latest victims.
I was lucky to have experienced the criticism of ‘encouraging and generous Brian’ rather than ‘Brian the uncompromising and dismissive critic’. Before I knew the full extent of Brian’s reputation as a devastating reviewer, I gave a paper on a PSA conference panel for which Brian was the respondent. I was too young and naïve to be frightened; luckily (for me), Brian said he thought I’d got it more or less right … and then he went on to tear to pieces the arguments of another, less fortunate, panel member.
My doctoral thesis was supervised by two of the finest political philosophers, Brian Barry and John Charvet. Upon receiving a chapter draft from me, they would choose different arguments to praise and criticize. I learned a lot during those years. One lesson, I think, was to have the courage to listen carefully to objections but not to be intimidated by criticism.
I consider myself privileged to have known Brian Barry. I agree with Stuart White that Brian’s work is timely at this particular historical moment. I would add that it deserves to become increasingly important in the coming years.
Cheers, Brian. I will miss you.

By: Axel Gosseries

Axel Gosseries — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:31:46 +0000

The last memory I have of Brian Barry is at Marc Fleurbaey’s book presentation at the LSE a few months ago. I didn’t recognize him straight. And for some reason, even after having noticed him, I remained intimidated and didn’t dare going to shake hands, despite having met him before. Since then, I have had to go through all his writings on intergenerational justice for the sake of introducing a paper on the matter. I have read some of these pieces again and again over the years. And yet, I was struck to re-discover how original he was on the matter.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:53:03 +0000

I don’t have any direct evidence at hand, but I’ve said for a while now that the work of Barry’s that I’ve read reads a lot like a very well-informed academic blog—not unlike an exceptionally polished CT.

By: Jacob T. Levy

Jacob T. Levy — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:19:18 +0000

I've posted my remembrance here.

By: Chris Brown

Chris Brown — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:24:33 +0000

Brian hated the term the ‘Enlightenment Project’, but he was as much an eighteenth century rationalist as he was a nineteenth century radical. He had a great belief in our capacity to solve problems by putting our minds to them – and I think this did sometimes lead to the irascibility which several writers have noted. Once he felt that he had worked things through, and had patiently explained his reasoning to you with all the clarity that his writing and conversation always displayed, if you still didn’t agree with him he could become rather testy. Basically, there must be something wrong with you, either you are not smart enough to see the point, or, if that is implausible, then perhaps you have gone over to the dark side! Of course there were some issues where reasonable disagreement was possible, but Brian always made sure he got to say what ‘reasonable’ meant in this context. This led to some fierce polemics, but he was also capable of friendship with people whose views he regarded as incorrigibly wrong-headed – I can testify to this from first hand experience, as someone who he regarded as a PoMo fellow-traveller, a follower of Michael Walzer and, even worse, an occasional Blairite. Over a bottle of wine and a good meal in his kitchen – cooked by Brian and Anni of course – none of that mattered, at least not very much….

By: Hillel Steiner

Hillel Steiner — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:01:39 +0000

I’ve little to add to what’s already been said here, beyond the recollection of a conversation with Brian, sometime in the early 1970s, when he confidently declared that, just as mathematicians cease to be creative sometime around their mid-twenties, political philosophers suffer a similar fate around their mid-thirties. No one’s career, it seems to me, better falsifies that claim than Brian’s itself.