ABSTRACT
In this chapter the author argues for one point. Though on the surface both Rorty and Lyotard may appear as some contend to espouse a philosophy that if not nihilistic, comes close to an epistemic nihilism, in actuality the purpose of their philosophy has been to promote an ethic of alterity. Their starting point is that the violence and oppression of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is a direct result of modernity's totalising narratives. In response, they believe that if only we adopt a philosophy of difference then such atrocities may dissipate. More specifically, he argues that their resistance to totality is not primarily motivated by epistemological argument, but rather by an ethical concern for the other. The significance of this is that if, as theologians, we wish to respond to their rejection of Christianity, then neither pointing out the inconsistencies at the heart of their thought.
