Sidney Hook

Sidney Hook
Hook in late life
Born	(1902-12-20)December 20, 1902 New York City, US
Died	July 12, 1989(1989-07-12) (aged 86) Stanford, California, US
Alma mater	City College of New York Columbia University
Era	20th-century philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Pragmatism Marxism (early)
Main interests	Political philosophy, philosophy of education
Notable ideas	Ethics of controversy

Sidney Hook (December 20, 1902 – July 12, 1989) was an American philosopher of pragmatism known for his contributions to the philosophy of history, the philosophy of education, political theory, and ethics. After embracing communism in his youth, Hook was later known for his criticisms of totalitarianism, both fascism and Marxism–Leninism. A social democrat, Hook sometimes cooperated with conservatives, particularly in opposing Marxism–Leninism. After World War II, he argued that members of such groups as the Communist Party USA and Leninists like democratic centralists could ethically be barred from holding the offices of public trust because they called for the violent overthrow of democratic governments.