Magnus Reitberger

F.D., universitetslektor
Ph.D. Senior Lecturer

E-mail: magnus.reitberger@statsvet.su.se

Research

Political philosophy; epistemology and meta-ethics; pragmatism; deliberative democracy; theories of justice.

My main research focuses the problems of pluralism, perspectivism and relativism in political philosophy. Is it possible to find a universal ground for political reasoning in a world characterized by deep cultural and intellectual divides? Are we "trapped" in our perspectives and frameworks of reasoning, with no neutral ground to decide between right and wrong, true and false? One way to pose this problem is to say that moral and political thought is contingent – a result of historical coincidence, neither necessary nor conclusive. Contingency was philosophically closely related to epistemic holism – the idea that single judgements can only be correct and incorrect in relation to a background theory or paradigm.

The philosopher that in my view most consistently tries to spell out the consequences of contingency and holism for philosophical and political thought is Richard Rorty, and his thought became the focus of my dissertation. (Consequences of Contingency: The Pragmatism and Politics of Richard Rorty, 2000) Rorty’s proposal is to understand contingency through the vocabulary of American pragmatism, an approach I find highly fruitful. The conclusion in my dissertation was that Rorty’s pragmatism was on the right track, but that his interpretation of pragmatism didn’t give sufficient weight to many important elements of pragmatism – in particular inquiry, fallibilism and problem solving. This has important consequences for the pragmatist view of politics, democracy and morality where my conclusions differ from Rorty’s on many points.

Courses taught:

Political Theory (basic), Political Theory (intermediate), Political Philosophy (intermediate) Culture and Identity in International Relations (intermediate); International Relations: Ethics and Politics (intermediate); Analysis of Politics (intermediate); Security and Strategy in International Relations (workshop, advanced)

Publications:

"McIntyre, Taylor och det moderna predikamentet" in Liberalismen och den moderna demokratin, Lindensjö/Mörkenstam/Reinikainen red. Studentlitteratur, Lund 1996.

"Trasymakos" in Amster, Matthew et.al. Kunskapens väsen. Doctus indomitus. Stockholm 1999.