This book contains diverse and critical reflections on Richard Rorty''s contributions to ethics, an aspect of his thought that has been relatively neglected. Together, they demonstrate that Rorty offers a compelling and coherent ethical vision. The book''s chapters, grouped thematically, explore Rorty''s emphasis on the importance of moral imagination, social relations, language, and literature as instrumental for ethical self-transformation, as well as for strengthening what Rorty called "social hope," which entails constant work toward a more democratic, inclusive, and cosmopolitan society and world.
Several contributors address the ethical implications of Rorty''s commitment to a vision of political liberalism without philosophical foundations. Others offer critical examinations of Rorty''s claim that our private or individual projects of self-creation can or should be held apart from our public goals of ameliorating social conditions and reducing cruelty and suffering. Som
