The Ethics of Richard Rorty: Moral Communities, Self-Transformation, and Imagination (Routledge Studies in American Philosophy)

This book contains diverse and critical reflections on Richard Rorty’s contributions to ethics, an aspect of his thought that has been relatively neglected. Together, they demonstrate that Rorty offers a compelling and coherent ethical vision. The book's chapters, grouped thematically, explore Rorty’s emphasis on the importance of moral imagination, social relations, language, and literature as instrumental for ethical self-transformation, as well as for strengthening what Rorty called "social hope," which entails constant work toward a more democratic, inclusive, and cosmopolitan society and world. Several contributors address the ethical implications of Rorty’s commitment to a vision of political liberalism without philosophical foundations. Others offer critical examinations of Rorty’s claim that our private or individual projects of self-creation can or should be held apart from our public goals of ameliorating social conditions and reducing cruelty and suffering. Some contributors explore hurdles that impede the practical applications of certain of Rorty's ideas. __The Ethics of Richard Rorty__ will appeal to scholars and advanced students interested in American philosophy and ethics. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Abbreviations of Works by Richard Rorty List of Contributors Introduction: Stretched Thin: Rorty’s Ethical Vision 1. Against Human Nature 2. Against Categorical Imperatives 3. Against Moral Principles 4. Against Philosophical Expertise Overview of Chapters Notes Works By Rorty Other Works Part I: Creating Moral Communities and Creating Selves Chapter 1: Reading Rorty in Tehran, or What Happened When I Road-Tested Rorty’s Philosophy of Life Inside an Iranian Prison Act One Act Two: The Crisis Act Three Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 2: Self-Creation and Community: Nietzsche, Foucault, Rorty Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 3: Richard Rorty, Ethnocentrism, and Moral Community: A Westerner’s Response to FGM Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 4: Rorty’s Hope of Achieving a Global Civilization Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Part II: Imagination, Care, and Virtue Chapter 5: Imagination as a Social Virtue Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom The World as a Social Poem Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 6: Can Trees Care?: The Overstory and Rorty’s Ideal of Inspirational Literature Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 7: Richard Rorty on the “Too Sane” Liberals: The “Too Sane” The Sagacious Turn Jack, the Dog Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 8: Scientific Method and Moral Virtues From Method to Attitude in Classical Pragmatism Scientific Method without Scientism Scientific Inquiry and Moral Virtues Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Part III: Engagements with Moral Philosophy Chapter 9: Talking with the Better-Looking Animals: Richard Rorty on Moral Status Moral Status and Moral Individualism Rorty’s Account of Moral Status Minimal Moral Status Full Moral Status Rorty as Expressivist Conclusion Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 10: Rortyan Ethics: Zim Zuming to Maturity I II Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 11: When Is Desire Dangerous? The Conversation Leading from Nietzsche’s “Delicate Boundary” to Rorty’s “Poeticized Culture” Introduction Nietzsche’s “Delicate Boundary” James Hillman’s “Imaginal Understanding” Judith Shklar’s “Putting Cruelty First” Rorty’s Poeticized Culture Lolita : The Gold Standard Example of “Delicate Boundary” Failure Irony’s Public Role Conclusion Works by Rorty Other Works Part IV: Re/Interpretations of Rorty Chapter 12: Speaking for Oneself: Stolen Vocabularies and Imposed Vocabularies 1. Humiliation in Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity 2. Oppression in “Feminism and Pragmatism” Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 13: Pragmatism and the Tragic Sense of Death Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 14: The Importance of Words: Ironism, Liberalism, and the Private/Public Distinction Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Chapter 15: The Ironic and Liberal Deficit in Rorty’s Irony Notes Works by Rorty Other Works Index This book demonstrates that Rorty offers a coherent ethical vision. Its chapters explore his emphasis on the importance of moral imagination, social relations, language, and literature as instrumental for ethical self-transformation as well as for strengthening social hope, which entails work toward a more inclusive and cosmopolitan world.