Contingency in the Communitarium

In the Communitarium Project, the concept of contingency is embraced not as a destabilizing force, but as a creative and adaptive principle that allows communities to evolve and thrive. Drawing on Richard Rorty’s notion of contingency, the Communitarium acknowledges that our beliefs, vocabularies, and practices are not grounded in any universal or eternal truths. However, rather than seeing this as a source of fragility, the Communitarium seeks to harness contingency as a means for fostering adaptive solidarity—a form of collective action that can sustain itself in the face of changing circumstances.

While Rorty emphasizes the contingency of language, belief, and identity, often highlighting the fragility of solidarity as vocabularies evolve, the Communitarium takes this further. Here, contingency is not merely something to accept or endure—it is something to work with deliberately. By recognizing that all beliefs and practices are contingent, the Communitarium creates space for innovation, experimentation, and redefinition at the community level.

• Example: In the Communitarium, the shared vocabularies and practices that bind a community together are always open to reinterpretation and adaptation. This flexibility allows for new forms of cooperation and solidarity to emerge as the community’s needs, circumstances, and goals evolve over time. Rather than being threatened by change, the Communitarium views change as an opportunity to reinvent solidarity.

The Communitarium seeks to move beyond Rorty’s individualistic focus on the ironist, who recognizes the contingency of their beliefs and is open to revising them. In the Communitarium, contingency is approached collectively, with the community as a whole engaging in the process of adaptation and reimagining. The project recognizes that, just as vocabularies and identities are contingent, so too are the structures of solidarity that hold communities together. But rather than allowing these structures to dissolve in the face of change, the Communitarium aims to embed practices that allow solidarity to persist even as the underlying vocabularies shift.

• Example: Through shared rituals, ongoing discussions, and collaborative decision-making, members of the Communitarium actively participate in the re-creation of the community’s sense of purpose and identity. These practices help maintain solidarity by providing a framework for continuous re-negotiation of beliefs and values, ensuring that the community remains coherent and resilient even in times of significant cultural or linguistic change.

A key aspect of contingency in the Communitarium is its role in shaping the process of deliberation. Recognizing that no single vocabulary or framework has a monopoly on truth, the Communitarium encourages open, inclusive, and dialogic approaches to collective decision-making. This means that disagreements and competing perspectives are not seen as threats but as opportunities for creative engagement. By embracing contingency, the Communitarium ensures that the community is flexible and open to new ideas, which is critical for sustaining long-term solidarity.

• Example: When conflicts arise within the Communitarium, members engage in deliberation processes that are structured to acknowledge the contingency of each position. Rather than trying to arrive at an absolute or final solution, the goal is to explore how different perspectives might be integrated or reimagined in ways that strengthen the community’s solidarity.

In the Communitarium, contingency is not left to chance. While Rorty’s vision of solidarity may sometimes seem vulnerable to the unpredictability of changing vocabularies, the Communitarium builds structures and practices that allow communities to adapt to these changes in a sustainable way. One key feature of this approach is the use of practices and rituals that continually reinforce solidarity through shared action, dialogue, and reflection.

• Rituals as Anchors for Solidarity: These practices serve as anchors that help communities maintain a sense of cohesion, even as their vocabularies evolve. By embedding solidarity into the fabric of everyday life through shared rituals, communities can ensure that their collective bonds remain strong, even when the specific terms or narratives they use to describe those bonds change.

• Example: A Communitarium might develop regular gatherings or shared work projects that provide space for members to engage in dialogue about the community’s evolving values. These rituals become a means of performing solidarity in real-time, reinforcing the community’s sense of belonging and commitment to one another even as their vocabularies and individual beliefs remain flexible.

Crises—whether cultural, political, or environmental—often challenge the vocabularies and practices that hold communities together. The Communitarium views such crises not as existential threats but as moments of opportunity for adaptive growth. Contingency allows communities to respond creatively to new challenges, experimenting with new forms of solidarity that are suited to emerging circumstances.

• Example: In the face of a crisis, such as the collapse of an old social structure or the emergence of new technologies that disrupt traditional ways of life, the Communitarium encourages its members to engage in collective reinterpretation. Rather than clinging to outdated vocabularies or practices, the community actively works to develop new frameworks that will support solidarity in the new context.

While contingency offers immense potential for flexibility and creativity, it also comes with certain challenges. The recognition that all beliefs and practices are contingent can lead to uncertainty, which may destabilize individuals or groups who are used to more fixed or hierarchical structures. However, the Communitarium addresses this challenge by creating environments that emphasize collective support, dialogue, and adaptive strategies that mitigate the negative effects of contingency.

• Example: The Communitarium encourages members to support one another in navigating the uncertainties that arise from contingency. Through ongoing dialogue and shared reflective practices, members work to ensure that the flexibility of their beliefs and vocabularies does not lead to disconnection or isolation, but instead fosters a sense of shared exploration and mutual trust.

In the Communitarium, contingency is embraced as a source of creativity and adaptation, allowing communities to evolve without losing their coherence or solidarity. By embedding practices that facilitate continuous renegotiation of beliefs, and by fostering a culture of open deliberation and shared rituals, the Communitarium turns contingency into a tool for building strong, flexible, and resilient communities. In this way, the Communitarium goes beyond Rorty’s individualistic ironist, creating a collective framework for living with—and thriving in—contingency.

For more on how the Communitarium builds adaptive solidarity, see:

• Solidarity in the Communitarium
• Rituals and Practices in the Communitarium