Richard Rorty
American philosopher Richard Rorty (1931-2007) is best remembered for his work in contemporary analytic philosophy, in which he advocated for a new school of American pragmatism. Born in New York City, Rorty received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1956, and spent his academic career at Princeton, the University of Virginia and Stanford. Paper Masters will compose a custom written research paper on Richard Rorty that follows your guidelines.
Richard Rorty and Modern Epistemology
In his 1979 book, Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, Rorty maintained that modern epistemology, the theory of knowledge, was based on the metaphor that the mind was a mirror of external reality. Departing from this metaphor meant that all of foundationalist epistemology was mistaken. Rorty believed:
- Modern philosophers were intellectually irrelevant
- Each successive generation attempts to redefine all academic disciplines into the one that is most popular.
- The triumph of science in the 20th century led philosophers to adopt scientific methods in order to explain reality.
Richard Rorty's Critiques
In his writing, Rorty questioned some of the most basic assumptions of philosophy, ad much of his later works were concerned with critiquing some of the most important continental philosophers, including:
Among contemporary philosophers, Rorty's work is both admired and controversial. In Achieving Our Country, Rorty argued that the progressive Left was the best intellectual basis for achieving a better society.