An edifying philosophy of education? Starting a conversation between Rorty and post-critical pedagogy

This paper joins the ongoing debate about the recent proposal of a post-critical turn in educational theory from an original perspective. While the proponents of post-critical pedagogy do not marshal educational pragmatism among their rich array of sources, in this contribution a conversation between Rorty and post-critical pedagogy is established. The assumption is that through this dialogue some tenets of the latter could find a Rortyan redescription avoiding the risk of ‘metaphysical’ formulations, whereas Rorty’s ideas can increase in their relevance for education thanks to the post-critical perspective. In particular, the conversation will develop by focusing on the shared attitude towards the critical-negative attitude of poststructuralist thought, the significance of the subject-matter in education and an interpretation of pedagogical hermeneutics (a key notion of post-critical pedagogy) through the lens of the Rortyan idea of edification. In the conclusion, by distinguishing two views of hope – an eventist and a transitionalist – it is argued that it is precisely in this theme, which seems to be a privileged meeting ground for Rorty and post-critical pedagogy, that there may lie a major fault line.