Desiring Reason: Reason and an Unavoidable Discourse of Desire

Cynthia Kaufman is the Director of the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action De Anza College where she also teaches Philosophy. She is the author of five books on social change: Consumerism, Sustainability and Happiness: How to Build a World Where Everyone Has Enough (Routledge 2023); The Sea is Rising and So are We: A Climate Justice Handbook (PM Press 2021); Challenging Power; Democracy and Accountability in a Fractured World (Bloomsbury 2020); Getting Past Capitalism: History, Vision, Hope (Lexington Books 2012) and Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change (2nd Edition PM Press 2016). She is a lifelong social change activist, having worked on issues such as tenants’ rights, police abuse, union organizing, international politics, and most recently climate change. She received her PhD and M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her B.A. in Development Studies from University of California, Berkeley. She started college at Mira Costa, a community college in Oceanside Ca. View all posts by Cynthia Kaufman