Overview

The Rorty-Habermas debate has been written on widely, but a full treatment of its importance had to wait until now. We have some historical distance from this exchange, which extended over three decades, and which touches upon the central concerns of numerous fields of study and of social organization. From law, to politics, to philosophy and communication theory, and including the basics of action, these two towering figures compare their forms of pragmatism. Marcin Kilanowski sets the debate in its historical and multilayered context, comparing it with criticism and commentary from his own viewpoint and from that of other important thinkers who observed and participated in the famous exchange. This book not only provides background in the history of philosophy for a general reader but also will be useful to those who need an abbreviated narrative and compendium of relevant sources for their own thinking and research. Kilanowski shows the points of convergence between Rorty and Habermas, and also examines the meaning of the outcome of their long exchange. Does the result get us any closer to a viable idea of freedom? Of responsibility? The book suggests some answers to these and other related questions.

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9781438483542

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Reviews

For both Habermas and Rorty philosophy was a practice in the service of freedom and democracy. Their disagreements were to a large extent disagreements about how that service could best be performed. Marcin Kilanowski reliably and helpfully guides the reader through positions and arguments taken by Rorty and Habermas respectively, while emphasizing their commonalities. A compelling read at a time when freedom and democracy are increasingly contested and the question of their defence is very much a live issue. - Mattias Kumm, Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin fur Sozialforschung (WZB), and Humboldt University in Berlin What do Richard Rorty and Jurgen Habermas have in common? As philosophers know well, quite a lot, but one point not generally known is that they met at a public debate in Warsaw, Poland, right after the fall of Communism which marked a beginning of a new era in Europe, and the world. This event, and these two giants of contemporary philosophy, constitute the organizing structure of this beautifully written, sophisticated yet accessible book. Of course it is of great interest to all Habermas and Rorty students, but there is more than that: gesturing to an idea of 'freedom as responsibility,' Marcin Kilanowski provides us with an outline of his new, intriguing theory. Greatly recommended! - Wojciech Sadurski, Challis Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Sydney Kilanowski offers thorough introductions to Rorty and Habermas, accessible to scholars working outside philosophy. He then fully dispels the battling caricatures that have arisen, establishing roots and commonalities especially deriving from Dewey's philosophical pragmatism. This book will be an enormous service to students and scholars who hope to learn from these philosophers without being specialists themselves, or even without being philosophers at all. - David Estlund, Professor of Philosophy, Brown University

Author Information

Marcin Kilanowski is Professor of Law at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland.

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