Richard Rorty’s American Civil Religion Cover Image

Amerykańska religia obywatelska Richarda Rorty’ego
Richard Rorty’s American Civil Religion

Author(s): Jakub Gużynski
Subject(s): Social Philosophy
Published by: Instytut Filozofii Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Richard Rorty; civil religion; romantic polytheism; pragmatist philosophy of religion; secularism

Summary/Abstract: The article presents Richard Rorty’s religious metaphors in the context of the concept of civil religion derived from The Social Contract of Jean Jacques Rousseau and primarily used today for the sociological analysis of the relationship between religion and the state. It is paired with Rorty’s conception of pragmatism as romantic polytheism and its fundamental notions of romance, polytheism, and poetry. Parallels between social and religious institutions formulated by the American neo-pragmatist, such as priesthood and sanctuary, provide the details of his proposition. The article opposes the interpretation of Jason Boffetti, who suggests that the use of religious language is a sign of a considerable change in Rorty’s standpoint. A characteristic feature of Rorty’s philosophy is its secularism. Therefore, there is a discrepancy between his vision of civil religion and that of other scholars. This discrepancy has its source in Rorty’s pragmatist position and underlines the political character of his philosophy.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 56
  • Page Range: 67-86
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: Polish