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The Cambridge companion to pragmatism
\"Pragmatism established a philosophical presence over a century ago through the work of Charles Peirce, William James and John Dewey, and has enjoyed an unprecedented revival in recent years owing to the pioneering efforts of Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam. The essays in this volume explore the history and themes of classic pragmatism, discuss the revival of pragmatism and show how it engages with a range of areas of inquiry including politics, law, education, aesthetics, religion and feminism. Together they provide readers with an overview of the richness and vitality of pragmatist thinking and the influence that it continues to exert both in philosophy and other disciplines. The volume will be of interest to students and scholars of pragmatism, American philosophy and political theory\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
A Companion to Rorty
A groundbreaking reference work on the revolutionary philosophy and intellectual legacy of Richard Rorty A provocative and often controversial thinker, Richard Rorty and his ideas have been the subject of renewed interest to philosophers working in epistemology, metaphysics, analytic philosophy, and the history of philosophy. Having called for philosophers to abandon representationalist accounts of knowledge and language, Rorty introduced radical and challenging concepts to modern philosophy, generating divisive debate through the new form of American pragmatism which he advocated and the renunciation of traditional epistemology which he espoused. However, while Rorty has been one of the most widely-discussed figures in modern philosophy, few volumes have dealt directly with the expansive reach of his thought or its implications for the fields of philosophy in which he worked. The Blackwell Companion to Rorty is a collection of essays by prominent scholars which provide close, and long-overdue, examination of Rorty's groundbreaking work. Divided into five parts, this volumecovers the major intellectual movements of Rorty's career from his early work on consciousness and transcendental arguments, to the lasting impacts of his major writings, to his approach to pragmatism and his controversial appropriations from other philosophers, and finally to his later work in culture, politics, and ethics. * Offers a comprehensive, balanced, and insightful account of Rorty's approach to philosophy * Provides an assessment of Rorty's more controversial thoughts and his standing as an \"anti-philosopher's philosopher\" * Contains new and original exploration of Rorty's thinking from leading scholars and philosophers * Includes new perspectives on topics such as Rorty's influence in Central Europe Despite the relevance of Rorty's work for the wider community of philosophers and for those working in fields such as international relations, legal and political theory, sociology, and feminist studies, the secondary literature surrounding Rorty's work and legacy is limited. A Companion to Rorty address this absence, providinga comprehensive resource for philosophers and general readers.
eBook
The New Pragmatism
Some hundred years after its inception, Pragmatism has reclaimed centre stage, not just within philosophy, but also within intellectual culture as a whole. This book sets out to explain what it is about Pragmatism that makes it such a distinctively attractive prospect to so many thinkers, even in previously hostile traditions. Alan Malachowski sets out in a clear and accessible manner the original guiding thoughts behind the Pragmatist approach to philosophy and examines how these thoughts have faired in the hands of those largely responsible for the present revival (Putnam and Rorty). The Pragmatism that emerges from this exploration of its \"classic\" and \"new wave\" forms is then assessed in terms of both its philosophical potential and its wider cultural contribution. Readers will emerge from the book with a more secure grip on what Pragmatism involves and a correspondingly clearer grasp of what it has to offer and what its current resurgence is all about.
eBook
Richard Rorty
Richard Rorty is notorious for contending that the traditional, foundation-building and truth-seeking ambitions of systematic philosophy should be set aside in favour of a more pragmatic, conversational, hermeneutically guided project. This challenge has not only struck at the heart of philosophy but has ricocheted across other disciplines, both contesting their received self-images and opening up new avenues of inquiry in the process. Alan Malachowski provides an authoritative overview of Rorty's considerable body of work and a general assessment of his impact both within philosophy and in the humanities more broadly. He begins by explaining the genesis of Rorty's central ideas, tracking their development from suggestions in his early papers through their crystallization in his groundbreaking book, \"Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature\". Malachowski evaluates some of the common criticisms of Rorty's position and his ensuing pragmatism. The book examines the subsequent evolution of his ideas, focusing particularly on the main themes of his second major work, Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. The political and cultural impact of Rorty's writings on such diverse fields as feminism, cultural and literary theory, and international relations are also considered, and the author explores why Rorty's work has generally found its warmest reception in these areas rather than among mainstream philosophers.
eBook
Intelligibility without meaning: Nagel, and the cosmos
Cosmic questions concern the relationship between the meaning we attribute to our lives and the cosmos within which such lives are situated. After explaining why such questions are liable to seem problematic, this article considers two responses to the envisaged difficulties. The first, a dismissive philosophical response, is itself dismissed. And, the second, which takes into account the socio-historical context of these difficulties, points towards Richard Rorty’s idea of radical self-reliance as a solution. Thomas Nagel’s exceptionalism, his reluctance to accept either of these responses is then criticized on the grounds that it resurrects a conception of the religious temperament that is no longer tenable.
Journal Article
Rorty and the meaning of life
In his introduction to Life, Death, and Meaning, David Benatar claims \"the question of whether life has meaning is arguably the biggest of the big questions\". In his book On the Meaning of Life, John Cottingham also suggests that the question as to whether life has meaning is one that \"does not go away\". At first sight, Richard Rorty's approach to the question fails to recognize this, and is liable to appear evasive or superficial. Rorty does provide elaboration and justification, but not directly, and not in a form that might normally be expected of a philosopher. Rorty tells a number of different versions of his historical story. The two main common threads are the modern trends of secularization and democratization. Rorty contends that each life can best be viewed as an endlessly interesting poem when the idiosyncrasies and chance events that go into making it up are given their due.
Book Chapter
Richard Rorty
Richard Rorty's Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature may be viewed as a sustained meditation on the philosophical significance and consequences of these remarks by Friedrich Nietzsche. Rorty's suggested shift from reason to rhetoric is very controversial, and threatens to dislodge philosophical argumentation from its special place in the Western tradition. But, it needs to be considered in the wider context of Rorty's views on the nature of intellectual change as a whole, where he also generally downgrades the part played by reason. He develops an all-encompassing picture that enables him to throw a cloak of history over his whole venture, and constructs various brief historical sketches to illustrate particular points. In Rorty's hands, the notion of conversation as a dominant mode of enquiry is shaped into a utopian prospect, a model for a society that aspires to achieve philosophical maturity in the sense of having outgrown what Nietzsche derided as a craving for metaphysical comfort.
Book Chapter
Introducing the New Pragmatism
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in this book. The book provides a broad-based introduction to the New Pragmatism for those who are to a large extent, or perhaps even completely, unfamiliar with it. It shows that a number of main features distinguish the New Pragmatism from its venerable ancestor. The book identifies some of the key differences between the ways in which these two major thinkers approach pragmatism, then assesses the implications of such differences for the New Pragmatism. It explores that the New Pragmatism can flourish on the input of both Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam without needing to reconcile all their differences. The book examines by quickly recalling some common objections to the New Pragmatism. Since this is an introductory account, no attempt is made to explore these or provide detailed arguments in the New Pragmatism's defence.
Book Chapter