From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Sat Sep 20 2003 - 15:38:27 BST
Hi Patrick,
> Hope you don't mind if I hop in here too. I've recently read a fresh
> book mainly on Rorty. What struck me particularly is Rorty's insistance
> on the relevance of the problems right here and now, in politics or our
> local environment, or even when we're drinking beer with friends.
> All-too-abstract thinking, pointing to a general ground is always
> _beyond_ the here and now. Having principles, morals and values doesn't
> mean they should be based in some objective reality, outside daily life
> and eternally valid, irrespective of particular situations at hand.
>
> What this means to me is that abstractions and general stated morals
> should not be a starting- and an endpoint, but merely a tool, something
> you can refer to in a open discussion. What matters is the situation at
> hand, not a reference to some objective dream.
To assert that "what matters is the situation at hand" is itself an
abstriction and a "generally stated" moral stance. The way you state
it, it appears to be "eternally valid." As "merely a tool," it has no
more standing than any other general, abstract principle.
But, the problem with the principle of "what matters is the situation
at hand" or "situational ethics" is that it quickly leads to the
principle of "anything goes."
I don't see anything in Rorty that would negate his adherence to the
"anything goes" principle other than a gang saying what's moral are the
the gang's rules.
Do you find in reading Rorty any situation where he would step in and
say, "That's wrong" -- I mean besides his rule that it's wrong to
invoke general moral principles?
Platt
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