Andrew Cooper

We only met Andrew a few times, but it was clear that he was both a brilliant thinker and a kind and thoughtful person. He could jump easily from talking about his latest research to the details of caring for chickens. He took other people seriously but didn't worry too much about himself. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

We met Andrew during a research stay in Pittsburgh in 2023, and had the great privilege of staying in touch with him over the next two years—including hosting him in Scotland after one of his remarkable hiking-and-canoeing wilderness adventures, from which he arrived drenched and exhausted (having encountered April snow along the river Tay), yet still enthusiastic for more adventurous hiking the next day. We were still only getting to know the many dimensions of his life, as we discovered when visiting him at the Tufnell Park vicarage last year. We admired not just his gorgeous chickens, his hand-made egg conveyor belt, and his impeccable poaching technique—which, sadly, we failed at replicating—but also the rare life of community and service he had found and made for himself in London, of all places. This is a great and shocking loss.

I am so saddened to hear that Andrew is gone. But filled with that deep peace knowing he is safe in the arms of our incredible Heavenly Father.
Coops and I met in 2005 during the crazy gap year influx to Youthworks college. We bonded over having mutual friends from church and school life. He was always so kind and gracious. What a life you lived for Jesus Coops. I know you will be so missed by those near to you. I pray they feel peace and comfort. See you again, Coops. 💛

Such a kind and generous soul. You will be dearly missed Coops. Thank you for everything you gave to so many. Go well xxxxx

Christmas at the Vicarage, Tufnell Park

I loved Andrew deeply. We dated for a little under a year and shared picnics, canal cycles, kimchi making, long theatre debriefs, quirky jazz gigs, snowy Cairngorm adventures, his first time skiing in the Alps, and plenty of cooking and hospitality. We stayed good friends as I moved north.
Andrew had incredible determination, sensitivity, curiosity, independence. A wildly brilliant mind, it was a delight to question the world with him and learn from the philosophy he loved. He lived intentionally: the chickens, the sourdough, the dark green smoothies from veg patch discards, even the flimsy plastic water bottle he carried around with him for years: all had a deeper meaning. My friends called him “Keep Cup Coops” after he brought me a spare skip-rescued keep cup on our 1st date to avoid creating waste.
After his friend Michael passed away, Andrew wrote of a deep sense of peace, that God was close by. I thank God for the light that was Andrew’s life, and pray that God is close by all those that grieve now.

Andrew was the first person to welcome me to St George’s Tufnell Park after the Christmas carol service a few years ago. Welcomed me by saying, ah we’re from the colonies!! 😆
While I only knew him for a few years
I’m so very thankful to have met him and known him.

Thank you for being my first friend in church.

When we lived together in an apartment at St Paul's College, USYD, Andrew would store in his tiny fridge the large fish he caught spearfishing off Bronte of a Saturday morning. When each year the Warden would harvest a small handful of coffee beans from the tree in the College garden, Andrew would roast them, huddled in the corner, with a heat gun he bought from Bunnings.

When I last saw him, we spoke for an hour about his hopes to write a book, following Sebald and the great nature writers, about Tasmania. I thought then that it would surely be a masterpiece.

He had an intensity and a purity in him that we rarely see in this world. I miss him now as much as I always admired him.

A true gem of a human being. At USYD during our student days, Coops always stood out for his kindness, intelligence, and humility. He radiated warmth and good humour, and it was always a pleasure to be in his orbit. I feel grateful to have known him.

My condolences to his family ❤️ This is so sad, sudden and such hard news to digest.

Gone too soon, may you rest in peace Andrew.

Andrew was one of the nicest, most thoughtful people I have ever dated (albeit briefly). We connected over how he managed to be a person of faith and a practicing Christian in academia, having lived between AU and UK, much like me... I admired his love of poetry, scholarly activism, erudition and acuity for turning the gaze of Philosophy to overlooked subjects of the German Enlightenment like Amalia Horst! I remember his experimental cooking and a fascination for chickens, which I never understood! 🙂 Lost touch over the last year, but just recently I was talking with a mutual friend about his work. Such a brilliant man - to a life well lived!

I'm so sorry to hear of his death but take comfort knowing that he goes to the arms of the Lord he loved; into eternal rest and safety. May all your questions be answered my friend. The world is a harsher place without you in it

I am so grateful for the time I spent with Andrew and for how he helped me see what really mattered. He was always just so full of energy and believed we could make good things happen through our work. And we did. I am incredibly proud of the work we did together and I know that he was too. Our project and the impact it had on the young people we worked with wouldn't have happened without Andrew. He helped everyone around him believe that anything is possible and cared about what everyone had to contribute. He was such a special and generous person. I wish there was more time to talk and work together - I had so many things I wanted to talk to him about and I wanted to hear more about all the wonderful things he was doing. I will keep on reminding myself of the sorts of things he would tell me to focus on and hopefully that will keep me on track. I feel such an emptiness in the department; I miss him so much.

I knew Andrew through Michael and Alexandra Lilley and the brilliant community at St George's, Tuffnell Park.

I so appreciated his really warm welcome, whenever I had dinner there, or went along to a party. And I enjoyed his attention and curiosity in wide-ranging conversations. I marvel at how good he was at such a range of things - philosophy, of course, but also cooking delicious food, constructing a palace for the Vicarage chickens, creating only mildly-anxiety-inducing firepits, and taming the Vicarage garden. I have a lovely memory of Andrew and Alison giving me a tour of their veg earlier this year.

I recall the phenomenal homily Andrew gave at our mutual friend Michael's funeral last year. It is hard to believe Andrew too now needs a funeral. It makes the deep faith in the world to come that shaped his homily all the more poignant.

Meanwhile, I'm one of many who'll feel his absence. I send love and pray prayers for those for whom the loss is acute and lift-changing.

Another photo, this time showing the lads and their senses of humour! Legends

This photo the Year 12 Boys took at the end of 2004 to give to me as a thank you for leading them through Youth Group from Year 7 to Year 12. Legends

What an extraordinary person Andrew was. I was fortunate to have been a colleague of his in the Philosophy Dept. at the University of Warwick. I was continually amazed at all the impressive things he was doing—publishing one book right on the heels of another, public outreach, diligent advising and teaching, organizing events. Our offices were across the hall from each other, and Andrew was the sort of cheerful and friendly person who would brighten anyone’s day. He was one of my most conscientious colleagues— someone who cared deeply for the Dept. and the people in it and who would chip in wherever he could. He was a person of admirable principle, passionately devoted to the political causes most significant for him. We had many good philosophical conversations over a coffee, a meal, or a glass of wine. He was a thoughtful and generous interlocutor, and I will miss him. Rest in peace. My condolences to Andrew's family and friends in their time of great loss.

It's taken me a while to be able to write this. Coopy, I miss you so much!
Coops and I first met in the Old Geology Lecture Theater, in 2013. After the lecture, we immediately went for a midday beer at Manning. I don't think we stopped talking for hours.
Coops was toward the end of his PhD, and I was floating around having just finished my LLM thesis. Retrospective glasses may be rose-tinted, but they were wonderful days - full of potential and heady anticipation. We knew we were going to do something, just not what or where. Coops taught me Kant and Castoriadis; we read Skinner and Arendt and Rousseau. I have been re-reading, in tears, the drafts of papers that we sent back and forth, with marginalia.
Then came Bonn, and the UK. Somehow we managed to see each other each year or so. I last saw him in SF, earlier this year. He spent time with our first child, Kai, and one abiding sadness is that he never met our second, who arrived recently, as if in recognition of Coops's passing. Vale, dearest friend.

I didn't know Andrew very well, but am compelled to share this anecdote from about 2013.

I was walking along City Road in Sydney, near where it becomes King Street. Andrew and I had been in a book club together a couple of years prior and as we passed one another we stopped to have a brief conversation. At the time I was studying at Moore Theological College heading towards church-based ministry, which is what I continue to do. I think Andrew was studying or working at Sydney University. When the small talk was over, he asked me if he could share a poem he was practising and he went on to recite 'As Kingfisher's Catch Fire' by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

The moment sticks in my head and I've thought about it over the years. The words are just as relevant to me now as they were then:

"...Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces."

I'm so sorry to hear of his death. I'll be praying for his family and friends.

steve joy and family you are in my thoughts and prayers today

As an undergraduate at Warwick I took Modern Philosophy I, the Kant component of which was taught by Andrew. His energy and interest in the subject matter were infectious and I doubt I would have become interested in Kant, had someone else taught the module. In that regard Andrew had a crucial part to play in where I ended up now - working on a PhD on Kant.

The last time I saw him was at a conference in September. By accident we were on the same train to Sheffield and walked to the university together from the station. It was warm conversation and Andrew was helpful as always giving me guidance on how to set myself up for success during the PhD and navigate the post-PhD job-market. We talked about his leave for the term and how he was looking forward to going back to Australia.

His passing is terribly sad, and I wish that I had taken the opportunity to thank him.

Andrew was an important part of our lives, as someone who was also walking the paths of academic philosophy and Christian faith. He was a person of integrity, depth and joy. He was always generous with his time and engaged in the work of others with genuine interest. We had so many unfinished conversations.
He came to stay with us in Geelong in July. After years of skype and zoom calls it was such a joy to share the same space. To walk by the river, eat together and go to the football. He was excited to meet our daughter Yolanda for the first time in person. Our last texts were about how his great grandfather played football for the Geelong Cats. We talked about how next time he came to Geelong we’d go to find his house. It is still hard to believe that he won’t be coming back.
Words fail to describe how important Andrew was for us and how we will miss him. Our condolences to the Cooper family and everyone who loved him.
Love – Chris, Eve, and Yolanda.

As Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick, Andrew developed a dynamic public engagement portfolio that brought philosophy to a wide range of audiences. His work as an AHRC BBC New Generation Thinker included a BBC Radio 3 essay on overlooked feminist philosopher Amalia Holst, and regular, lively appearances on Free Thinking; He generously supported early career researchers at Warwick applying for this scheme in 2025. Andrew was also comfortable sharing his research in community venues, including two community events for the 2024 Being Human Festival in partnership with the Islington Food Partnership. These events—Wellbeing Café Festival and Ready, Steady, Eat!—used philosophical insights to support local food justice initiatives and foster community dialogue. His podcast Daybreak further extended the reach of Warwick’s philosophy research.

Andrew will be greatly missed by staff and students at Warwick. We send our most sincere condolences to his friends and family.

Dear Andrew,

I have struggled to find the words, and to face what happened. You are leaving a huge hole in the lives of everyone who knew and loved you, and in the philosophy world. I should have told you explicitly - did I ever? - how much I admired you for remaining yourself in an academic environment that tends to change people, make them competitive, sometimes even lose the joy to do what they do. I admired you because you never lost that joy, your passion for your research (who will do that now?), the excitement of doing philosophy, and because you remained such a kind and generous person.

I'm grateful for the time we got to spend together - at Warwick, in London, in Oslo, in Berlin. I'm grateful for your advice and support in moments in which I was facing difficult decisions. I'm grateful for the smile you always greeted me with, and for teaching me how to be a better philosopher, colleague, and human being. I hope that, wherever you are, you will be able to keep doing what you love. I miss you.

Tribute: I knew Andrew from his academic life. We met in 2016, and I got to know him well living in London in 2019-2020, and we saw each other frequently, as well as collaborating and exchanging work, after that. I feel this loss on multiple levels because not only was Andrew just a great person -- incredibly nice to everyone he met, and so genuine and committed to his values -- but I also know the hole he's going to leave in the scholarly community. No one did the research Andrew did. We had so many long talks on Kant and the third Critique and Darwin and the philosophy of nature; he's irreplaceable.

I was amazed that someone with his productivity was also keeping chickens and roosters in the center of London, and able to make us a meal entirely with ingredients from his garden! I've never met anyone else like him and don't think I ever will.

It has been a great pleasure getting to know Andrew and everyone at the vicarage. He was someone I looked up to and an excellent role model. Above all he was a caring person who always made time to chat. I’ve included a picture of a favourite memory of us in Church. He was my sponsor and often took time to talk about faith and anything on my mind.

I have some really great memories of us together! I remember volunteering at a Church event in order to promote sustainable food use, a cause very close to his heart. During this, we were both on the station with the chickens, it was chaotic but fun trying to move them safely from the vicarage to the car park! We also went outdoor swimming together, I was quite nervous at the start but Andrew encouraged me which helped me grow and develop more.

I'm really grateful to have met Andrew, an exceptionally charitable and caring person. It’s hard to express how much he meant to me. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the vicarage. Rest in peace, Andrew.

Andrew welcomed me the first time I walked into St. George's. His welcome was consistent with most of my interactions since - joyful, enthusiastic, and with a cup of coffee. Over the last year and a half his friendship and continued welcome were a gift. The vicarage felt like a second home and extended family here in London - even during his own season of grief.

Our conversations often circled back to our siblings, nieces, and nephews on other sides of the world - his 3 sisters and my 3 brothers. To his sisters- he often talked about how much he enjoyed talking to you on the phone and listening to (very!) long voice memos. To be both firmly rooted in community and deeply connected with family home can seem contradictory, but I know it's what he strived for and enjoyed.

As many have mentioned, he is incredibly smart. What I've been thinking on, though, is how he didn't take himself too seriously - laughter about the everyday is what I'm holding onto the most.

I can't stop thinking about my old mate, Coops. I don't want you to be gone. I'm just so thankful I will see you again and you can catch me up on all you've learnt while hanging out with Jesus in paradise.

For some time, Coops and I would greet each other and say, "Perhaps today?" With the other replying, with an affirming tone, "Perhaps today." This was to say, perhaps today will be the day of our Lord Jesus' return. Well, my friend, from now on when I think, "Perhaps today?" I'll be thinking, perhaps today will be the day the Lord Jesus returns and I get to see my old mate Coops again?

Photo from our Tasmania Schoolies hike.

Andrew, I'm forever grateful for having known you. I'm grateful for the trust and patience that you showed me first as your research assistant and, later, as your collaborator. I'm grateful for the enthusiasm that you radiated when talking about the history of philosophy, and that you infected me with. I'm grateful for the spirited, probing, and good-natured arguments that we had. I'm especially grateful for experiencing the kindness and generosity that came so naturally to you.

I'll miss you deeply, and I extend my condolences to your loved ones, family, friends, and colleagues.

May your memory be a blessing

I had known Andrew for a decade after first meeting him at a summer school in Bonn in 2015. Through the years, we met intermittently, mostly on philosophical occasions. His brilliant and generous spirit had a lasting impact on me. Someone else said in their obituary that they were struck time and again by his steadfastness, and that resonates so much with me: Andrew had the wisdom, kindness, and wit of someone who knows themself and (as was always my sense) is deeply at peace with who they are.

I met Andrew for the last time in September at a conference. Unscheduled as a speaker, his coming was a surprise to myself and others. I had arrived just before him, so I could witness that everyone had the same reaction as I did: people lit up. There was such a palpable sense of joy that Andrew was there and we’d get to hang out for two days. It’s a beautiful thing for someone to have this effect on people, and the world is poorer without him. I will miss Andrew and my heart goes out to all his family and friends.

What a shock! RIP, Andrew. I remember an enthusiastic, brilliant young colleague who came to Bonn in 2014 as a post-doc. It was a real privilege having him visit us. All the best to his family and close friends!

In the past two days, I’ve been deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Dr Andrew Cooper — a brilliant philosopher with a remarkably kind and open-minded heart. Andrew was assigned as my second supervisor in my first year at Warwick, and even though we worked in different areas, he showed real interest in my work. His dedication to philosophy was inspiring, and his kindness to ordinary students like me left a lasting impression.

Over the years, he also became a source of honest and pragmatic career advice. During our last online meeting in June, he congratulated me on submitting my thesis and reminded me that I was entering a phase of life in which I must protect my time ruthlessly in order to “survive” in academia. I will remember that, Andrew.

Andrew's passing is a great loss, and I still can’t fully comprehend it. All our philosophical discussions now feel so weightless.

R.I.P., Andrew — thank you for everything. I feel so lucky to have met you, and I’m sending love and prayers to your family.

Rest in peace Andrew, you were always very kind to me, easy to talk with, and you gave me great feedback when you were overseeing my philosophy classes when I was a teaching assistant at Warwick. You were ambitious, hard-working and were concerned about the deepest puzzles of existence. I'm sad to hear of your sudden passing. Friends and family of Andrew, I'm sorry for your loss.

Meeting the Cooper family was very special. My late daughter spent her teen years as the “extra” Cooper at a time when she needed a brother and a dad and a different family. Andrew treated her as another sister and the family welcomed her in ways that helped her so much. I remember collecting young people from Springwood railway after they were sent home from school during a flood event. Multiple trips to get them home were enlivened by joyful voices and the discussions in the back seat. I am so saddened that you are now walking this journey along side me - a journey I hoped you would never have to take.
We know that we have a sovereign God, and his plans are perfect even when we can’t see it. Andrew knew this and reminded me on more than one occasion. He was a blessing to all who crossed his path.

Rest in peace, Andrew Cooper. I mostly knew him as a scholar (and he was a really good one), but it was also clear to me that he was a very nice person. Our philosophical community just became poorer.
My sincere condolences to everyone who knew him, especially to the family and friends.

Rest in Peace

RIP Andrew Cooper. This is a photo of us at Nathan and Kate Lyon's wedding. My speech bombed, yours was OK.

I haven't spoken to you in several years. if I had the chance to one last time, I would tell you you were a wonderful person - very kind, thoughtful, articulate, brilliant, fun-loving, quick to forgive. I loved the way that you lived with integrity, true to your convictions. The world is so much poorer without you.

I trust we will see you again on that day of many meetings - on that great and final day.

Andrew, you were an incredible Christian brother, full of love and care for those in need.

Tears fall as I type these words, thinking of the good days back in Sydney. When I was a student with limited funds, you were the one who gave me a free bike. When I first joined PBC, you encouraged me to be part of your Bible study team. When I lacked the confidence to speak Bible verses in English, you motivated me to study the Bible, even though you teased my Cantonese accent.

You invited me to celebrate Christmas with your family in Blue Mountain. I truly felt the love of God from your entire family.

I’m blessed to have visited you last year (Feb 2024) in London. We had a great time and watched London Symphony.

I was still hoping you could visit Hong Kong one day. Even though that can’t happen now, it will remain in my memory forever.

I’m praying for God to comfort your family. My deepest condolences go out to all of your family and close friends. May God comfort their hearts, including myself. 💔

Rest in peace Andrew "Coop" "Coops" Cooper.

21 years ago for schoolies Coops, Myself and a handful of others traveled to Tassie and hiked The Overland Track.

Many good memories from that hike.

Coop always saying "what's taters precious" in his best Gollum impersonation while mixing up a batch of Deb instant mash.

Coop sneaking away from the crowd at the top of Cradle Mountain because he wanted to piss off the edge!

Once we were back in town, Coops wrapping up slices of pizza at Pizza Hut in serviettes and putting them in his pockets, for breakfast the next morning.

Many memories from school too, Coop playing Settlers of Catan on the grass at lunch.

Hiding a big blob of Deep Heat on your leg before a Rugby game so you could smear it on the opposition front row's faces at the first scrum. Somehow you got away with that.

You were cheeky, silly and fun, but also genuinely cared about those around you, smart and nerdy, but also very cool.

A truly great guy, gone too soon.

The last time I saw Andrew we were sitting on London Fields, drinking some drinks from the off-licence across the street, talking about Heidegger. He'd kindly agreed to talk with me about an article I was working on, with the disclaimer that "I'm a Kantian, not a Heideggerian", and we spoke about philosophies of the imagination, and rambled into talking about being an academic in the UK and about church- he spoke so warmly of his beautiful community in London. I was struck then, as I was when I first got to know him when we were undergrads at Sydney Uni, going to EU public meetings, how steadfast Andrew is- rooted in a sense of himself (or so it seemed to me), such a deeply intelligent, kind and perceptive person. I'm deeply saddened by this terrible loss and sending my prayers for love, peace and comfort to hold and protect his family and all who loved him.

I remember a cute little boy with a buzz cut and mischievous. It’s Been 30years since we lived in the same street and I remember I was always at the coopers , afternoon tea at queens park, sitting in the aircon reading books in kfc 🤣eating yummy treats that mama cooper made. Scooting around in the maroon mini van. I can still remember Andrew’s voice when he was cranky at his sisters usually Melinda it was long and extended like Meeellliiinnnnda! My favourite memory will always be the several toothpicks carefully aligned across the top of the staircase that I happened to stand on! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you were a true busy lil man. rip Andrew !

Most of our extended Cooper family were grateful to spend time together and with Andrew last Christmas. Andrew's warm, caring, adventurous, intelligent and funny self will be missed but forever in our hearts and memories