Things we can learn from Richard Rorty...



Richard Rorty



Toward the end of his life, the great American philosopher Richard Rorty reflected on a lifetime of academic enquiry. His conclusion was simple - "It is through sentiment and sympathy, not through rationality and universalistic moral discourse, that democratic advances take place." This statement had a shattering effect on political philosophers. Rorty was turning his back on the academic traditions of the Enlightenment by suggesting that philosophy was of little relevance to social progress and politics. Here was the banal pragmatism of the plebiscite - social and political progress decoupled from rationality, born of the momentary expedient and swept along by ever changing tides of public opinion.

I rather like the notion that sentiment and sympathy should replace the rational and scientific as the rudder that guides society. But how do we make room for sentiment, empathy and sympathy in an increasingly empirical world - a world where what matters is the stuff we can count, measure, codify, meta-analyse, evaluate and interpret in a logical, rational, scientific quest for irrefutable truths?

I assert the case for Rorty because I believe that democratic progress depends upon empathy - the identification of the self with the experience of the other. I believe it is this sense of identification that engenders sentiment and that in turn elicits our sympathy and motivates our response - private, social and political. For most of us, this does not entail a deconstruction of a moral dilemma; it simply leads to irrational but highly contextualised emotional responses. I might want to help, I might want to fight - the point is I want do something, change something.

The riots of 2011 would appear to vindicate Rorty's views. When empathy is completely absent the void is quickly filled with antipathy, intolerance and hatred expressed through violence. So, perhaps we should be trying to bring people into situations where empathy can be generated - maybe we can start to effect social and democratic progress through some form of 'empathy action.'

How can we generate empathy? For Rorty; great literature could do it. For me; it takes a bit more. I have been helping to develop a new methodology - a non empirical mechanism for generating empathy, sympathy and compassion. It starts from the recognition of difference, the identification of the other. Keeping it simple - I am not blind and I do not know what it is like to be blind. I don't think about it much, it does not affect me. This is true of many, but not all. Those affected, their families, those who provide services - all have greater empathy, sympathy, knowledge and understanding. Our methodology brings these people together to share and capture their insights and experiences. This is not a needs analysis because it views the participants as assets - they hold the knowledge, wisdom, insight. We explore the individual narratives, highlighting the good things - the positives as well as the challenges. These conversations are captured, on tape, in words - verbatim. By repeating the conversations with different participants common themes and shared experiences emerge. Not only that - we change too. Our empathy and understanding increases as the process unfolds.

After the sessions have ended, the common themes are turned into questions that are then used by a film crew to undertake documentary interviews with participants drawn from the focus groups. The films feature histories, experiences, narratives - often powerful, often very moving. The skill of the film maker is to let the people tell their own stories, in their own words, in their own places. The films by themselves have an impact - they stick with you. The experience cannot be unlearned. The films are also used to share the empathy - on TV and on the web, in schools, with service providers, with decision makers, with politicians. The films are also used in facilitated workshops where the issues are discussed and local actions identified.

I am really lucky to work with an extraordinary team of committed individuals in Wiltshire, a council with progressive ideas, supportive councillors and partner agencies, some wonderful local people and a fantastic film crew. Together we are delivering 12 films featuring the voices and stories of people who either do not or cannot engage in civic life through traditional structures. Often these people are misrepresented and marginalised. We are working with: army wives, gypsy and travelling families, stroke survivors, people with learning difficulties, unemployed youngsters, polish migrants, older people living in residential care, people living with dementia, blind and partially sighted people, rural families on low incomes, boaters and residents living on a social housing estate in Salisbury. The first film is in the can and it is truly something very special - something that far exceeds even our most optimistic expectations. I'll post the link as soon as it is online and you can judge for yourself.

Of course, it will take more than a few films to change the world. But I remain convinced that this is an idea that can make a difference. Maybe, somewhere out there in the afterlife, Old Rorty is grinning that broad, slack grin of his.

Let me know what you think...