week seven_article eleven_blog twenty four

Richard Rorty_Globalization, the Politics of Identity and Social Hope

In his brief discussion surrounding the topic of globalization, Rorty renders this construct as one dominated by a global overclass of the conscienceless super-rich, a plutocracy which “makes all major economic decisions” independently of any countervailing power (nation-states, legislatures, governments, political orders, democratic will, etc.), of any ‘global polity’. Furthermore, our author posits that because of the absence of a global polity, “we are in danger of winding up with only two genuinely international social groups: the super-rich and the intellectuals,” people devoted to “measuring the harm” being done by the super-rich. One wonders if this is not only an overly negative depiction of a significant portion of the phenomenon of globalization, but also an inaccurate rendering of it as well. How could it possibly be that globalization, in all its complexities and intricacies, could find itself with only two possible “genuinely international” social groups? Are there not other possibilities for numerous international social groups (tourists, refugees, immigrants, etc.)? What does it mean to be ‘genuinely international’? What does it take to be a part of global culture, of a global society? What are the requirements? And with regards to Rorty’s call for countervailing global agencies to oppose the power and control of the super-rich, what would the role of such agencies be, outside of the obvious and stated purpose of global policing?

Additionally, is it fair to render the entire social organization of the super-rich as conscienceless, self-centered, and self-serving? Is this not a discriminatory and simplistic depiction of a prominent and influential social group, and furthermore, an assault on an easy target? Surely there are some prominent members of the super-rich community who fit Rorty’s description, but I am also fairly certain that there are many whom hold tightly to their own firmly established ideals, morals, and ethics, and elect to utilize their status and assets to further global society and positive dreams for an egalitarian future for this society. Can these members of the super-rich community not also have some effect as another countervailing power which works parallel to and in conjunction with global polities opposing those of the super-rich global community who are more akin to Rorty’s rendering?