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Richard Rorty's philosophical legacy

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Fuller, Steve (2008) Richard Rorty's philosophical legacy. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Vol.38 (No.1). pp. 121-132. ISSN 0048-3931

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0048393107311457

Abstract

Richard Rorty's recent death has unleashed a strikingly mixed judgment of his philosophical legacy, ranging from claims to originality to charges of charlatanry. What is clear, however, is Rorty's role in articulating a distinctive American voice in the history of philosophy. He achieved this not only through his own wide-ranging contributions but also by repositioning the pragmatists, especially William James and John Dewey, in the philosophical mainstream. Rorty did for the United States what Hegel and Heidegger had done for Germany-to portray his nation as philosophy's final resting place. He was helped by postwar German philosophers like Jurgen Habermas who were happy to defer to their American conquerors. Rorty's philosophical method can be understood as a sublimation of America's world-historic self-understanding: a place suspicious of foreigners unless they are willing to blend into the "melting pot." In retrospect, the breadth and confidence of Rorty's writing will come to symbolize the moment when the United States, for better or worse, came to be the world's dominant philosophical power.

Item Type:

Journal Item

Subjects:

B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
H Social Sciences > HM Sociology

Divisions:

Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Rorty, Richard -- Criticism and interpretation, Rorty, Richard -- Influence, Pragmatism, Logical positivism, Analysis (Philosophy)

Journal or Publication Title:

Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Publisher:

Sage Publications Ltd.

ISSN:

0048-3931

Official Date:

March 2008

Dates:

Date	Event
March 2008	Published

Volume:

Vol.38

Number:

No.1

Number of Pages:

Page Range:

pp. 121-132

Identification Number:

10.1177/0048393107311457

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Publication Status:

Published

Access rights to Published version:

Restricted or Subscription Access

Version or Related Resource:

Turner, C. (2008). Stop the pidgin - a reply to Steve Fuller. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 38(3), pp. 379-382. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/29534. ; Fuller, S. (2008). The coroner is not for turning. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 38(3), 383-387. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/29535

Related URLs:

References:

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