Towards an aesthetic education? Rorty's conception of education

Journal/Book: J Philosophy Educ. 1998; 32: 108 Cowley Rd, Oxford OX4 1JF, Oxon, England. Blackwell Publ Ltd. 253-265.

Abstract: The 'liberal utopia' presented by Richard Rorty in Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity is a unique attempt to address the ancient problem of the relationship between individual and society or, in Rorty's terms, that between the private and the public. This article examines Rorty's influential conception of education and asks: can his book be regarded as utopian? Is it possible to establish an education for democracy on his 'postmodern' premises? I conclude that Rorty's attempt to separate private from public and to promote a fusion between irony and solidarity is tantamount to founding human existence on an aestheticising orientation. This entangles Rorty in self-contradiction and raises educational and political problems which remain unresolved.

Note: Article Rosenow E, Tel Aviv Univ, Sch Educ, POB 39040, IL-69978 Tel Aviv, ISRAEL

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