In "Step 88: Rorty’s Solidarity," the concluding episode of our three-part series on Richard Rorty’s Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity (1989), host Ryder Richards explores Part III, Chapters 7–9, where Rorty tackles cruelty and solidarity. Rorty argues that solidarity isn’t a universal human essence but a contingent creation, forged through imaginative identification with others’ pain via narratives like novels. We delve into vivid examples: Nabokov’s Lolita and its “tingles” of aesthetic bliss, which reveal cruelty through inattention and inspire moral empathy; Orwell’s 1984, where O’Brien’s intelligent cruelty underscores the fragility of liberal hope; and Sellars’ “we-intentions,” showing how solidarity expands “us” through shared stories, not abstract truths.
Rorty’s appeal lies in his witty, pragmatic blend of literary insight and moral hope, empowering us to craft kinder worlds without metaphysical crutches. Yet, Ryder remains skeptical, critiquing how Rorty’s vision has materialized but been subverted in 2025. While his liberal ironist thrives in self-creation and anti-cruelty movements, mimetic identities—adopting others’ vocabularies for social gain—and weaponized solidarity, where anti-cruelty fuels division, distort his utopia. This episode traces Rorty’s narrative-driven philosophy from language and selfhood to community, urging listeners to question vocabularies while imagining a broader “we.” Join us for a compelling finale to this philosophical journey, available on LetUsThinkAboutIt.
0:00 Intro
2:23 Noticing Cruelty through Narrative: Nabokov
7:18 Fragility of Liberal Hope: Orwell
11:50 Creating Solidarity: Sellars
15:48 Rorty's Legacy: subversion and capture
20:28 Outro
