Beyond Richard Rorty's Public

Abstract

Richard Rorty argues that various metaphysicians have attempted to fuse the private and the public. These philosophers and religious thinkers posit rules of justice which apply to both spheres, thereby establishing a moral link between the individual and the community. Rorty claims, however, that these universalist traditions have been discredited and that the pnivate/public connection should be severed. This essay contends that Rorty's strict separation of private and public spheres is flawed, that his "private" actually subverts his "public." The philosophical and religions foundations cannot be detached either theoretically or practically from public principles of justice. Also, the boundaries of Rorty's public square are not neutrally drawn, but betray an anti-liberal hostility to experiences of transcendence.