Quote of Day by G.A. Cohen: ‘Of course, not everybody likes camping trips…’ — How a socialist philosopher used a camping trip to explain socialism

Socialist philosopher G.A. Cohen, known for his rigorous critique of both capitalism and orthodox Marxism, argued that inequalities produced by markets are morally questionable because participation in them is often driven by necessity rather than genuine choice. In Why Not Socialism??, Cohen drew on everyday experiences to expose the ethical limits of market societies, using simple metaphors from markets as inescapable casinos to the discomforts of a camping trip to ask whether systems that overlook human differences and basic fairness can truly be called just.

Quote of the day by Socialist philosopher G.A. Cohen: ‘Of course, not everybody likes camping trips. I do not myself enjoy them much, because I'm not outdoorsy, or at any rate, I'm not outdoorsy overnight-without-a-mattress-wise. There's a limit to the outdoorsiness to which some academics can be expected to submit.’ G.A. Cohen on his book Why Not Socialism?

Also Read: Quote of the day by Ronald Reagan: ‘Socialism only works in two places…’

Meaning of the Quote

G.A. Cohen is using humour to talk about individual preferences and personal limits. He begins by acknowledging that camping trips are not universally enjoyable and openly admits that he himself does not like them much. By doing so, he normalizes the idea that disliking certain experiences, especially those involving discomfort, is entirely reasonable.

When Cohen says he is “not outdoorsy, or at any rate, not outdoorsy overnight-without-a-mattress-wise,” he is poking fun at himself. He suggests that while he may appreciate nature in small doses, he is unwilling to give up basic comforts like a proper place to sleep. This exaggeration adds a light, relatable tone to the passage while amplifying the idea that enjoyment of the outdoors has practical limits.

By referring to “some academics,” Cohen gently stereotypes people whose work is intellectual rather than physical. He implies that individuals shaped by particular professions or lifestyles cannot be expected to adapt equally to physically demanding or uncomfortable situations. This reinforces the broader point that people differ in their capacities and tolerances.

In the context of Why Not Socialism?, this passage supports Cohen’s larger argument that fairness and equality should account for human differences. A just system should encourage cooperation and sharing without forcing everyone into the same mould or demanding sacrifices that ignore personal limits. Equality, for Cohen, is about mutual respect and fairness, not uniform discomfort.

Who was G. A. Cohen?

G. A. Cohen (1941–2009) was a Canadian political philosopher and one of the most influential socialist thinkers of the late 20th century. He is best known for rigorously re-examining Marxism using the tools of analytical philosophy, subjecting it to the same critical standards he applied to any political ideology.

Cohen taught at University College London as Quain Professor of Jurisprudence and later at the University of Oxford as Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at All Souls College. His early work reshaped “Analytical Marxism,” while his later writings focused on egalitarianism, distributive justice, and moral equality. Among his most widely read books is Why Not Socialism?, in which he argued for equality and fairness grounded in everyday moral intuitions rather than abstract economic models.