The Conversational Rationality of R. Rorty

Abstract

Richard Rorty, who calls himself pragmatist, has offered his own views on social consensus with focus on his key-concept of “conversation.” He is also active in the discussions of postmodernism. In contemparary sociology there are many topics, such as ethnicity, environment, and gender, which relate to the issues of coexistence of disparate values. Although Rorty presents his own views on such states of affairs, his contribution has not been well recognized in the sociological literature. This paper attempts to consider the significance of Rorty's pragmatism in a sociological context. This attempt also aims to be a search for a direction liberal democracy might take following postmodernity.