This paper examines and compares the different ways in which Charles Taylor and Richard Rorty critique the representationalism and foundationalism characteristic of modern epistemology (Chapter One), then considers how their critiques affect their respective understandings of morality (Chapter Two) and of the role of religious belief in modern secular societies (Chapter Three). Rorty's and Taylor's epistemological debate is presented as an example of the differences between, on the one hand, 'anti-ontological' or pragmatic post-foundational philosophies (such as Rorty's) and, on the other, 'weak ontological', contact realist alternatives (such as Taylor's). The paper concludes with a defense of Taylor's position over Rorty's, and, in doing so, makes a case for the rejection of strictly naturalist accounts of the moral and religious life in favor of a (weak ontological) picture of the human person as necessarily oriented in relation to transcendent goods of other trans-human realities.

The thesis examines Charles Taylor's theory of agency and the moral sources that he believes inform our modern notion of the self. Taylor's concept of the strong evaluator is outlined and brought to bear on post-structuralist and postmodernist literary-theoretical positions that attempt to reconcile amoral positions and nonagency with multicultural political demands and the demands of what Taylor calls a "culture of authenticity". In order to do full justice to a theory of art that would incorporate Taylor's concept of agency, however, it becomes necessary to critique the philosopher's account of art, which he derives from widely held doctrines of Romanticism and aesthetic autonomy found in the Western tradition. The concept of a pragmatist approach to art serves as the main argument against Taylor's views, which exclude certain agents and their social experiences. Those agents who do not subscribe to Romantic and high Modernist ideas about art's function can often be said to adopt a pragmatic critique, which takes into account the uses of art in defining modern identities, and exposes the social privilege that has typically accompanied the autonomy that art has been awarded.

Orientador: Marcos Lutz Muller / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-03T16:37:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Araujo_PauloRobertoMonteirode_D.pdf: 10564655 bytes, checksum: d5f06afc4fb95f39bead0335ad029150 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003 / Resumo: É em tomo do problema da identidade que Charles Taylor desenvolve as suas concepções em relação ao problema das ações humanas. Para o presente trabalho, a pergunta de fundo que colocamos foi a de saber se o arcabouço argumentativo de Taylor, sustentado pelas teorias expressivistas, consegue manter conceitualmente a tese de que os agentes morais agem motivados não pela racionalidade autofundante do sujeito, mas sim pelos sentimentos significativos morais que os mesmos desejam realizar sob a forma de bem no espaço político. Deste modo, a nossa proposta de tese foi analisar até que ponto a teoria de Taylor fornece as bases para a construção de conceitos que dão abertura para a renovação das práticas políticas nas sociedades atuais, visando, assim, à realização da liberdade humana por meio das suas diversas formas de expressão. Sendo assim, o que fizemos, primeiramente, ao longo dos seis capítulos que compõem o trabalho, foi propor um modo de sistematizar o encadeamento dos pontos básicos da teoria de Taylor, como expressão, ação, avaliação, bem, self, espaço público e político, com o objetivo de analisar a construção ontológica da identidade do agente humano. A segunda preocupação ficou centrada no problema da relação entre identidade e os posicionamentos dos agentes no espaço público. Por último, a nossa intenção foi mostrar que a teoria da política do reconhecimento de Taylor resguarda a liberdade expressiva dos indivíduos sem comprometer ao mesmo tempo as formas universais da vida pública / Abstract: Charles Taylor develops his conceptions about the problem of human actions around the identity problem. For the present work, the basic question made was to know if the argumentative framework of Taylor, sustained by the expressivity theories, can support conceptually the thesis that the moral agents act driven not by the subjects' selfrationality, but by the significative moral feelings that they wish to carry through under the form of good in the political space. This way, our thesis proposal was to analyze to what extent Taylor's theories supply the basis for the construction of concepts which provide an opening for the renovation of the political practices in current societies, aiming, in this way, at the accomplishment of human freedom by the means of its diverse forms of expression. Thus, what we did in the first place, throughout the six chapters which com pose the work, was to propose a way to systemize the chaining of the basic points of Taylor's theory, such as expression, action, evaluation, good, self, and political and public space, with the objective of analyzing the ontological construction of the identity of the human agent. The second concem focused on the problem of relationship between identity and the positionings of the agents in the public space. Finally, our intention was to show that Taylor's theory of recognition politics protects the expressive freedom of the individuais without compromising at the same time the universal forms of the public life / Doutorado / Filosofia / Doutor em Filosofia

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This thesis attempts to address different problems pertaining to the concept of subject. These problems might appear remote from one another, but their juxtaposition reveals possible interactions that yield rich avenues of research. The ensuing dialogue provides an interesting portrait of the contemporary subject. / Enunciation theories are the point of departure of this thesis. They contend that the subject constructs itself in and by discourse. A link is then made with certain problems put forward by Charles Taylor who also sets the contemporary subject in discourse, seen as essential material for its construction. The elaboration of a personal morality is the foundation of what he calls the self. / The exploration of these problems draws our attention toward some questions which are tackled in the two last chapters. The first question concerns the mode of construction of the subject. In accordance with our modern episteme, the subject constructs itself as narrative. The second question aims at understanding the role of the Other in the construction of the subject. The contact with the Other and the recognition of this difference are the motors of this construction.

Concerned with the state of the self in modernity, Charles Taylor engages in an act of cultural retrieval in order to allow for a meaningful struggle against the pernicious developments of the modern age. To avoid a loss of meaning, rampant instrumentality, and ultimately a loss of freedom, Taylor suggests that we must arrive at a new understanding of the self. To this end Taylor positions himself between contemporary liberals and communitarians, arriving at what he deems holistic individualism or an "ethic of authenticity". He holds that, in order for this notion of authenticity to be realized, we must be in contact with the constitutive goods which underpin western society. After prolonged consideration Taylor arrives at the conclusion that the only publicly available constitutive good in the modern age is religion. Although he is at times hesitant to admit it, Taylor contends that religion is an invaluable source for the self and the only good able to meet the challenges of modernity.

Dissertação (mestrado) - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, 2008 / Bibliografia: f. 88-90 / A pesquisa tem por objetivo expor a defesa da idéia expressivista de pessoa em Charles Taylor, além das implicações éticas e políticas decorrentes dessa concepção de pessoa. O filósofo busca a fundamentação de seu ideal de pessoa tomando por base duas dim / This research aims to expose the defense of a expressivist idea of person in Charles Taylor and its implications in ethics and politics. The philosopher searches the foundation of his person ideal basing on two theorics dimensions: an ontologic and a mora

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