The contingency of solidarity: A pragmatic critique of Richard Rorty's philosophy

Pragmatist philosopher Richard Rorty articulates a view of the human person that is deeply at odds with a central assertion of Christianity: that huma n persons are deeply but not finally vulnerable to the conditions of their existence, and thus not wholly contingent beings. Because key elements of a Christian view of the human person, including a sharp appreciation of huma n vulnerability and the concept of freedom, as well as grounds for an overr iding commitment to the well-being of all human persons are at stake, the a uthor stresses the importance of addressing Rorty's pragmatist views. The a uthor's argument is that Rorty's presentation of solidarity as the public r esponse to human contingency fails on pragmatic grounds and she suggests an alternative view of contingency that can account for the creation of solid arity.