Demokratik liberal ütopyanın antropolojik olanağı olarak pragmatizm

The primary purpose of this research paper is to put forward the organic and anthropological relation between pragmatism that adopts "the greatest good for the greatest number" as its fundamental principle and democracy based on pluralism as a means of governance. The nature and the scope of the Cartesian Philosophy which emerged concurrently with the Era of Enlightenment is explained in the first chapter. The birth of the modern subject and the hegemony of rationality over the self, the reality and the absolute truth are specifically scrutinized via the arguments of René Descartes and Immanuel Kant. In the second chapter, it is argued that the functional subject has replaced the modern subject with the emergence of pragmatism and that knowledge has solely become a practical acquisition which serves the living agent. It is presented a general picture of the reflections of the advocates of pragmatism such as Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill and John Dewey. In this respect, their arguments which base pragmatism as the philosophical foundation of the democratic political order through basic values and principles of the greatest good for the community, equality and liberty are analysed. The third and the final chapter of the study has its central aim to deal with the critiques raised by Richard Rorty on traditional philosophy and to touch upon the scope of contemporary pragmatism. Furtermore, Rorty's anti-epistemologic approach relative to his arguments on linguistic philosophy and representation is analyzed. The same chapter also elaborates "Postmodern Liberalism and Democracy" within Rorty's thoughts on how pragmatism enables democracy and the nature of postmodern liberal democracy arised from these two concepts. The study ends with the contention that an egalitarian, libertarian and pluralist democracy - namely "Rortyrian Democracy" – can be facilitated by the democratization of the self. Keywords: Pragmatism, Democracy, Utilitarianism, Subject, Interest, Functionality, Cartesian Philosophy, Liberalism