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What Can Rorty Teach an Old Pragmatist Doing Public Administration or Planning?

University of Illinois at Chicago

Hugh Miller’s argument that philosopher Richard Rorty offers a pragmatic upgrade for public administration does not work. However, the critics, in defending old pragmatism against new, miss some useful insights. Rorty basically helps us to grasp the hubris of claiming epistemic trump and to beware the quest for certainty in the service of the powerful. For instance, how would pragmatic ideas compare with more conventional theoretical expectations rationalizing the recent combination of federal intelligence agencies into a new Homeland Security Agency? Rorty describes and celebrates the critical irony of self-perfection as a resource best nurtured in private while insisting that public expectations be shaped by practical alternatives sensitive to compromise and consensus. We theorists should not be distracted by philosophical debate but focus instead on inventing and comparing practical organizational alternatives that meet public needs without sacrificing individual freedom.

Key Words: pragmatism • planning • irony • practical reason

Administration & Society, Vol. 38, No. 3, 389-398 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0095399706287885


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