Richard McKay Rorty (1931–2007) was an American philosopher and man of letters. Overlapping the pragmatist, analytical, and continental philosophical institutions, he gave new life to the pragmatist tradition and brought it into the public discussion of democracy and liberalism.
Rorty was born in New York City. His parents were radical political activists who supported the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, then escaping from Stalin’s assassins.
Rorty studied at the University of Chicago and Yale University, and taught at Yale 1955–57, Wellesley College 1958–61, and Princeton 1961–82, before becoming Professor of Humanities at Virginia University (1982–97,) where he completed his most famous works. From 1997, he spent the remainder of his academic career at Stanford University as a professor of comparative literature and philosophy.
A leading proponent of neopragmatism, Rorty’s central philosophical doctrines include the rejection of the correspondence theory of truth (namely that the fact reflects an overall mind-independent reality) and the pursuit of definite foundations for knowledge.
Rorty’s Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (1979) represented a forceful and dramatic attack on the foundationalist and metaphysical aspirations of traditional philosophy. His book was acclaimed by its supporters as the first significant text in post-analytical philosophy and was criticized by its opponents as unscholarly special pleading.
Rorty drew a wider readership among those interested in literary criticism, social theory, and intellectual history with works such as Contingency, Irony and Solidarity (1988) and Objectivity, Relativism and Truth (1991.)
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The world does not speak. Only we do. The world can, once we have programmed ourselves with a language, cause us to hold beliefs. But it cannot propose a language for us to speak. Only other human beings can do that.
—Richard Rorty
Topics: Speech, Conversation
Always strive to excel, but only on weekends.
—Richard Rorty
Topics: Excellence
Open-mindedness should not be fostered because, as Scripture teaches, Truth is great and will prevail, nor because, as Milton suggests, Truth will always win in a free and open encounter. It should be fostered for its own sake.
—Richard Rorty
Topics: Perception, Awareness
The difference between people and ideas is… only superficial.
—Richard Rorty
Topics: Ideas
The usual picture of Socrates is of an ugly little plebeian who inspired a handsome young nobleman to write long dialogues on large topics.
—Richard Rorty
Topics: Philosophers, Philosophy
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