Rorty, Liberalism, and Problems with Objectivity

Abstract

Richard Rorty is one of the philosophers who want to convince us that traditional philosophical problems are in fact the problems of the philosophers themselves. At the same time, he is a firm defender of liberal democracy as the best political project available. The author of this paper analyses Rorty’s thought in order to inquire whether his denial of the possibility of an objective justification of liberal political practice must result in such usually unwanted consequences as moral relativism and irrationalism. Having rejected these doubts, the author considers the relation of Rorty’s liberalism to local tradition, claiming that the pragmatist version of liberalism is not necessarily hostile to the tradition altogether.