Gary Cox

Who is Gary Cox?

Gary Cox is a British philosopher and the author of several books on Jean-Paul Sartre, existentialism and general philosophy.

He was awarded his PhD in 1996 from the University of Birmingham, UK, for his thesis on Jean-Paul Sartre's theory of consciousness, freedom and bad faith and is an honorary research fellow of that same university. His most notable works to date are The Sartre Dictionary and How to Be an Existentialist, or How to Get Real, Get a Grip and Stop Making Excuses.

Cox’s early publications reflect his research into both the philosophical, fictional and biographical writings of Jean-Paul Sartre, with his book, The Sartre Dictionary, providing a comprehensive overview of Sartre’s major works, ideas, influences and contemporaries. From 2009 onwards, with the publication of How to Be an Existentialist, Gary Cox took the ideas of existentialism to a wider, non-specialist audience, emphasising the self-help and personal empowerment aspects of the theory. An attack on contemporary 'excuse culture', the work urges the reader to face the hard existential truths of the human condition and to take full responsibility for his or her inalienable freedom.