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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa EDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations Richard Rorty “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz”

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Page 1: Edu 6424 #7 richard rorty on

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Richard Rorty“On ethnocentrism: A reply

to Clifford Geertz”

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Empathy – vs. – Self-doubt

““We would rather die than be We would rather die than be ethnocentric, but ethnocentrism is ethnocentric, but ethnocentrism is precisely the conviction that one precisely the conviction that one would rather die than share certain would rather die than share certain beliefs.beliefs.

We then find ourselves wondering We then find ourselves wondering whether our own bourgeois liberalism whether our own bourgeois liberalism is not just one more example of is not just one more example of cultural bias.”cultural bias.”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. p. 203203

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

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““If we continue this line of If we continue this line of thought too long we thought too long we become what are become what are sometimes called ‘wet’ sometimes called ‘wet’ liberals. We begin to liberals. We begin to lose any capacity for lose any capacity for moral indignation, any moral indignation, any capacity to feel capacity to feel contempt. Our sense of contempt. Our sense of selfhood dissolves.”selfhood dissolves.”

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. 203

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““We become so open-We become so open-minded that our brains minded that our brains have fallen out. This have fallen out. This collapse of moral self-collapse of moral self-confidence, [is] what confidence, [is] what Geertz calls ‘the desperate Geertz calls ‘the desperate tolerance of UNESCO tolerance of UNESCO cosmopolitanism.’” cosmopolitanism.’”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. to Clifford Geertz,” p. 203 203

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

liberal culturewindows and sympathies

““Our bourgeois liberal Our bourgeois liberal culture…is a culture culture…is a culture which prides itself on which prides itself on constantly adding on constantly adding on more windows, more windows, constantly enlarging constantly enlarging its sympathies.”its sympathies.”-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. 204reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. 204

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““The heroes it apotheosizes The heroes it apotheosizes include those who have include those who have enlarged its capacity for enlarged its capacity for sympathy and tolerance. Among sympathy and tolerance. Among the enemies it diabolizes are the the enemies it diabolizes are the people who attempt to diminish people who attempt to diminish this capacity, the vicious this capacity, the vicious ethnocentrists.”ethnocentrists.”

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

The ‘social function’ of connoisseurs of diversity…

““Anthropologists, and Geertz’s Anthropologists, and Geertz’s other connoisseurs of other connoisseurs of diversity, are the people who diversity, are the people who are expected and empowered are expected and empowered to extend the range of to extend the range of society’s imagination, thereby society’s imagination, thereby opening the doors of opening the doors of procedural justice to people on procedural justice to people on whom they had been closed.”whom they had been closed.”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. 206Geertz,” p. 206

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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

moral tasksa division of labours

““the moral tasks of a liberal the moral tasks of a liberal democracy are divided between democracy are divided between the agents of love and the agents the agents of love and the agents of justice. In other words, such a of justice. In other words, such a democracy employs and democracy employs and empowers empowers bothboth connoisseurs of connoisseurs of diversitydiversity and and guardians of guardians of universalityuniversality.”.”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. 206 (emphasis mine)p. 206 (emphasis mine)

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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

““The former [the The former [the connoisseurs of diversity] connoisseurs of diversity] insist that there are insist that there are people out there whom people out there whom society has failed to society has failed to notice. They make these notice. They make these candidates for admission candidates for admission visible…The latter, the visible…The latter, the guardians of universality, guardians of universality, make sure that once these make sure that once these people are admitted as people are admitted as citizens, once they have citizens, once they have been shepherded into the been shepherded into the light by the connoisseurs light by the connoisseurs of diversity, they are of diversity, they are treated just like all the treated just like all the rest of us.”rest of us.”-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. 206reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. 206

Alex Colville, To Prince Edward Island, 1965National Gallery of Canada

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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

anti-anti-ethnocentrism““It [anti-anti-ethnocentrism urges liberals to It [anti-anti-ethnocentrism urges liberals to

take with full seriousness the fact that the take with full seriousness the fact that the ideals of procedural justice and human ideals of procedural justice and human equality are parochial, recent, eccentric equality are parochial, recent, eccentric cultural developments, and then to cultural developments, and then to recognize that this does not mean they are recognize that this does not mean they are any the less worth fighting for. It urges any the less worth fighting for. It urges that ideals may be local and culture-bound, that ideals may be local and culture-bound, and nevertheless be the best hope of the and nevertheless be the best hope of the species.”species.”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” pp. -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” pp. 207-8207-8

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anti-anti-ethnocentrism continued…

““The formulation of general moral The formulation of general moral principles has been less useful to the principles has been less useful to the development of liberal institutions than development of liberal institutions than has the gradual expansion of the has the gradual expansion of the imagination of those in power, their imagination of those in power, their gradual willingness to use the term ‘we’ gradual willingness to use the term ‘we’ to include more and more different sorts to include more and more different sorts of people”of people”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” pp. 207-8pp. 207-8

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

postmodernist liberalism““All we should do is point out the All we should do is point out the

practical advantages of liberal practical advantages of liberal institutions in allowing individuals and institutions in allowing individuals and cultures to get along together without cultures to get along together without intruding on each other’s privacy, intruding on each other’s privacy, without meddling with each other’s without meddling with each other’s conceptions of the good…We can urge conceptions of the good…We can urge the construction of a world order the construction of a world order whose model is a bazaar surrounded whose model is a bazaar surrounded by lots and lots of exclusive private by lots and lots of exclusive private clubs….we can dissociate liberty and clubs….we can dissociate liberty and equality from fraternity.” equality from fraternity.”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” pp. 209-10 pp. 209-10

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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

““the Enlightenment should not have the Enlightenment should not have yearned for a world polity whose yearned for a world polity whose citizens share common aspirations citizens share common aspirations and a common culture…We will and a common culture…We will aim at nothing stronger than a aim at nothing stronger than a commitment to Rawlsian commitment to Rawlsian procedural justice – a moral procedural justice – a moral commitment when made by commitment when made by members of some clubs (e.g., ours) members of some clubs (e.g., ours) but a matter of expediency when but a matter of expediency when made by members of others.” made by members of others.”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p. 210Geertz,” p. 210

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Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

““The ultimate political synthesis The ultimate political synthesis of love and justice may thus of love and justice may thus turn out to be an intricately-turn out to be an intricately-textured collage of private textured collage of private narcissism and public narcissism and public pragmatism.”pragmatism.”

-Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford -Richard Rorty, “On ethnocentrism: A reply to Clifford Geertz,” p.210Geertz,” p.210