Synopses & Reviews
Do we still need philosophical discourse as part of communication within our culture? Is philosophical endeavor still valid? This book offers the views of some of the most popular, distinguished contemporary philosophers who have placed their mark on philosophy. Durgen Habermas, Richard Rorty, Leszek Kolakowski, and Ernest Gellner bring their ideas into confrontation in a unique debate devoted to the present state of philosophy.
Habermas begins with a comprehensive account of contextualism. According to him, contextualism is a new form of historicism. What are the merits of an approach that takes into account both a historical and a cultural context? Is the pragmatism promoted by Richard Rorty an acceptable criticism of our platonic heritage? If so, does this mean the end of rationality as a regulative ideal of the human universe? Rorty's answer is Yes. This world-renowned American thinker recommends putting a full stop at the end of a narrative which was useful in pursuit of our ancestors' purposes but is no longer useful for ours. Leszek Ko^D/lakowski attempts to undermine the alleged pragmatic merits of pragmatism from the position of an analytic philosopher who continues to value classical elements of philosophical tradition. Ernest Gellner also turns against Rorty's pragmatism, which he denounces as a product of the Enlightenment roots of American culture and its centuries of political and economic stability. The future of Western culture may depend on the answers to the questions asked by these authors.
Review
[A] lively and spirited tour through the opinions of some of the major players in this worthwhile debate. This book deserves a wide readership . . .Teaching Philosophy
Synopsis
Do we still need philosophical discourse within our culture? Three prominent philosophers, Jurgen Habermas, Richard Rorty, and Leszek Kolakowski assess the contemporary state of philosophy and the implications for the future in this important text.
Synopsis
Do we still need philosophical discourse as part of communication within our culture? Is philosophical endeavor still valid? This text, suitable for use in any course dealing with contemporary philosophical thought, offers students the views of some of the most popular, distinguished contemporary philosophers who have placed their mark on philosophy. Jurgen Habermas, Richard Rorty, Leszek Kolakowski, and Ernest Gellner bring their ideas into confrontation in a unique debate devoted to the present state of philosophy. The future of Western culture may depend on the answers to the questions asked by these authors.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [126]-144) and index.
About the Author
JOZEF NIZNIK is Professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Polish Academy of Sciences.JOHN T. SANDERS is Professor of Philosophy at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Table of Contents
Preface
Coping with Contingencies
Jurgen Habermas: Coping with Contingencies, The Return of Historicism
Richard Rorty: Emancipating Our Culture
The Challenge of Relativism
Richard Rorty: Relativism: Finding and Making
Richard Rorty: On Moral Obligation, Truth, and Common Sense
Leszek Kolakowski: A Remark on Rorty
Richard Rorty: Response to Kolakowski
Philosophy and the Dilemmas of the Contemporary World
Leszek Kolakowski: A Remark on Our Relative Relativism
Ernest Gellner: Enlightenment--Yes or No?
Richard Rorty: The Notion of Rationality
Appendix I: Comments on the Habermas/Rorty Debate
Appendix II: Comments on Richard Rorty, "Relativism: Finding and Making"
Appendix III: Comments on Philosophy and the Dilemmas of the Contemporary World
Bibliography
Index