Pragmatic Pluralism in Ethical and Sociopolitical Theory

Abstract

Abstract This chapter begins by putting pragmatism in conversation with contemporary critics of “ideal theories,” including critiques of John Rawls’s idealized world of rational agents who are in full compliance with the demands of justice. The author draws from nonideal theorists to argue that comparison to the ideal is valuable as a heuristic, but it is the wrong starting point for future ethical and sociopolitical theorizing. A pragmatic outlook, in contrast, can elicit generative possibilities that are concealed by overly formal ideal theories. The chapter argues that traditional moral theorizing’s unitary zeal standardizes moral life in a way that is poorly suited to navigating indeterminate systems.