Rorty's Liberal Utopia and Huxley's Island

Abstract

Richard Rorty controversially suggests that literature is more important for political progress in liberal society than political philosophy. Indeed, eschewing conventional choices, like Plato's Republic or Machiavelli's Prince , Rorty argues that the best introduction to political thought is Aldous Huxley's celebrated dystopian novel, Brave New World . Rorty, however, neglects Huxley's positive utopian work, Island . This is unfortunate because Island depicts a pragmatic liberal society that embodies many of Rorty's political ideals. This article demonstrates that Island represents an exercise of liberal political imagination that complements Rorty's widely discussed vision of a pragmatic liberal utopia.