Richard Rorty, Liberalism and Cosmopolitanism

Richard Rorty, Liberalism and Cosmopolitanism

Author: David E McClean

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-10-06

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1317317866

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Richard Rorty was one of the most controversial and influential philosophers of the late twentieth century. McClean re-evaluates Rorty’s work in the light of his liberal cosmopolitan outlook, showing how it can be applied to a range of social and political issues.


Book Synopsis Richard Rorty, Liberalism and Cosmopolitanism by : David E McClean

Download or read book Richard Rorty, Liberalism and Cosmopolitanism written by David E McClean and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-06 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Rorty was one of the most controversial and influential philosophers of the late twentieth century. McClean re-evaluates Rorty’s work in the light of his liberal cosmopolitan outlook, showing how it can be applied to a range of social and political issues.


Richard Rorty

Richard Rorty

Author: Neil Gascoigne

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-04-25

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 0745654517

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Neil Gascoigne provides the first comprehensive introduction Richard Rorty’s work. He demonstrates to the general reader and to the student of philosophy alike how the radical views on truth, objectivity and rationality expressed in Rorty’s widely-read essays on contemporary culture and politics derive from his earliest work in the philosophy of mind and language. He avoids the partisanship that characterizes much discussion of Rorty’s work whilst providing a critical account of some of the dominant concerns of contemporary thought. Beginning with Rorty’s early work on concept-change in the philosophy of mind, the book traces his increasing hostility to the idea that philosophy is cognitively privileged with respect to other disciplines. After the publication of Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, this led to a new emphasis on preserving the moral and political inheritance of the enlightenment by detaching it from the traditional search for rational foundations. This emerging project led Rorty to champion ‘ironic’ thinkers like Foucault and Derrida, and to his attempt to update the liberalism of J. S. Mill by offering a non-universalistic account of the individual’s need to balance their own private interests against their commitments to others. By returning him to his philosophical roots, Gascoigne shows why Rorty’s pragmatism is of continuing relevance to anyone interested in ongoing debates about the nature and limits of philosophy, and the implications these debates have for our understanding of what role the intellectual might play in contemporary life. This book serves as both an excellent introduction to Rorty’s work and an innovative critique which contributes to ongoing debates in the field.


Book Synopsis Richard Rorty by : Neil Gascoigne

Download or read book Richard Rorty written by Neil Gascoigne and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-04-25 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Neil Gascoigne provides the first comprehensive introduction Richard Rorty’s work. He demonstrates to the general reader and to the student of philosophy alike how the radical views on truth, objectivity and rationality expressed in Rorty’s widely-read essays on contemporary culture and politics derive from his earliest work in the philosophy of mind and language. He avoids the partisanship that characterizes much discussion of Rorty’s work whilst providing a critical account of some of the dominant concerns of contemporary thought. Beginning with Rorty’s early work on concept-change in the philosophy of mind, the book traces his increasing hostility to the idea that philosophy is cognitively privileged with respect to other disciplines. After the publication of Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, this led to a new emphasis on preserving the moral and political inheritance of the enlightenment by detaching it from the traditional search for rational foundations. This emerging project led Rorty to champion ‘ironic’ thinkers like Foucault and Derrida, and to his attempt to update the liberalism of J. S. Mill by offering a non-universalistic account of the individual’s need to balance their own private interests against their commitments to others. By returning him to his philosophical roots, Gascoigne shows why Rorty’s pragmatism is of continuing relevance to anyone interested in ongoing debates about the nature and limits of philosophy, and the implications these debates have for our understanding of what role the intellectual might play in contemporary life. This book serves as both an excellent introduction to Rorty’s work and an innovative critique which contributes to ongoing debates in the field.


Richard Rorty

Richard Rorty

Author: Christopher J. Voparil

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 9780742551671

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Offers a fresh perspective on Richard Rorty by situating his work in the arena of political theory. Reinterpreting Rorty's antirepresentationalism as a Romantic affirmation of the power of imaginative writing, this work provides an assessment of this important thinker's value to the political discourse of the 21st century.


Book Synopsis Richard Rorty by : Christopher J. Voparil

Download or read book Richard Rorty written by Christopher J. Voparil and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2006 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers a fresh perspective on Richard Rorty by situating his work in the arena of political theory. Reinterpreting Rorty's antirepresentationalism as a Romantic affirmation of the power of imaginative writing, this work provides an assessment of this important thinker's value to the political discourse of the 21st century.


Defending Rorty

Defending Rorty

Author: William M. Curtis

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2015-08-14

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 1316352587

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Liberal democracy needs a clear-eyed, robust defense to deal with the increasingly complex challenges it faces in the twenty-first century. Unfortunately much of contemporary liberal theory has rejected this endeavor for fear of appearing culturally hegemonic. Instead, liberal theorists have sought to gut liberalism of its ethical substance in order to render it more tolerant of non-liberal ways of life. This theoretical effort is misguided, however, because successful liberal democracy is an ethically demanding political regime that requires its citizenry to display certain virtues and habits of mind. Against the grain of contemporary theory, philosopher Richard Rorty blends American pragmatism and romanticism to produce a comprehensive vision of liberal modernity that features a virtue-based conception of liberal democracy. In doing so, Rorty defends his pragmatic liberalism against a host of notable interlocutors, including Charles Taylor, Nancy Fraser, Hilary Putnam, Richard J. Bernstein, and Jean Bethke Elshtain.


Book Synopsis Defending Rorty by : William M. Curtis

Download or read book Defending Rorty written by William M. Curtis and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-08-14 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Liberal democracy needs a clear-eyed, robust defense to deal with the increasingly complex challenges it faces in the twenty-first century. Unfortunately much of contemporary liberal theory has rejected this endeavor for fear of appearing culturally hegemonic. Instead, liberal theorists have sought to gut liberalism of its ethical substance in order to render it more tolerant of non-liberal ways of life. This theoretical effort is misguided, however, because successful liberal democracy is an ethically demanding political regime that requires its citizenry to display certain virtues and habits of mind. Against the grain of contemporary theory, philosopher Richard Rorty blends American pragmatism and romanticism to produce a comprehensive vision of liberal modernity that features a virtue-based conception of liberal democracy. In doing so, Rorty defends his pragmatic liberalism against a host of notable interlocutors, including Charles Taylor, Nancy Fraser, Hilary Putnam, Richard J. Bernstein, and Jean Bethke Elshtain.


Achieving Our Country

Achieving Our Country

Author: Richard Rorty

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 9780674003125

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One of America's foremost philosophers challenges the lost generation of the American Left to understand the role it might play in the great tradition of democratic intellectual labor that started with writers such as Walt Whitman and John Dewey.


Book Synopsis Achieving Our Country by : Richard Rorty

Download or read book Achieving Our Country written by Richard Rorty and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of America's foremost philosophers challenges the lost generation of the American Left to understand the role it might play in the great tradition of democratic intellectual labor that started with writers such as Walt Whitman and John Dewey.


The Ethics of Richard Rorty

The Ethics of Richard Rorty

Author: Susan Dieleman

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2022-05-05

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1000586413

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This book contains diverse and critical reflections on Richard Rorty’s contributions to ethics, an aspect of his thought that has been relatively neglected. Together, they demonstrate that Rorty offers a compelling and coherent ethical vision. The book's chapters, grouped thematically, explore Rorty’s emphasis on the importance of moral imagination, social relations, language, and literature as instrumental for ethical self-transformation, as well as for strengthening what Rorty called "social hope," which entails constant work toward a more democratic, inclusive, and cosmopolitan society and world. Several contributors address the ethical implications of Rorty’s commitment to a vision of political liberalism without philosophical foundations. Others offer critical examinations of Rorty’s claim that our private or individual projects of self-creation can or should be held apart from our public goals of ameliorating social conditions and reducing cruelty and suffering. Some contributors explore hurdles that impede the practical applications of certain of Rorty's ideas. The Ethics of Richard Rorty will appeal to scholars and advanced students interested in American philosophy and ethics.


Book Synopsis The Ethics of Richard Rorty by : Susan Dieleman

Download or read book The Ethics of Richard Rorty written by Susan Dieleman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2022-05-05 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book contains diverse and critical reflections on Richard Rorty’s contributions to ethics, an aspect of his thought that has been relatively neglected. Together, they demonstrate that Rorty offers a compelling and coherent ethical vision. The book's chapters, grouped thematically, explore Rorty’s emphasis on the importance of moral imagination, social relations, language, and literature as instrumental for ethical self-transformation, as well as for strengthening what Rorty called "social hope," which entails constant work toward a more democratic, inclusive, and cosmopolitan society and world. Several contributors address the ethical implications of Rorty’s commitment to a vision of political liberalism without philosophical foundations. Others offer critical examinations of Rorty’s claim that our private or individual projects of self-creation can or should be held apart from our public goals of ameliorating social conditions and reducing cruelty and suffering. Some contributors explore hurdles that impede the practical applications of certain of Rorty's ideas. The Ethics of Richard Rorty will appeal to scholars and advanced students interested in American philosophy and ethics.


The Last Conceptual Revolution

The Last Conceptual Revolution

Author: Eric Gander

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1999-01-01

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9780791440094

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A critique of Rorty's own provocative political philosophy, as well as an in-depth look at both the issues concerning the relationship between the public and the private, and arguments on the role of reason in liberal political discourse generally.


Book Synopsis The Last Conceptual Revolution by : Eric Gander

Download or read book The Last Conceptual Revolution written by Eric Gander and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A critique of Rorty's own provocative political philosophy, as well as an in-depth look at both the issues concerning the relationship between the public and the private, and arguments on the role of reason in liberal political discourse generally.


Richard Rorty's Politics

Richard Rorty's Politics

Author: Markar Melkonian

Publisher: Humanities Press International

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13:

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"Markar Melkonian meets Rorty head-on, taking him to task for insufficiently repudiating universal values, essentialism, and other metaphysical views he claims to have abandoned. Melkonian does this in the course of making the case that the existing liberal democracies Rorty wants to defend bear little resemblance to Rorty's own liberal utopia, in which "the quest for autonomy is impeded as little as possible by social institutions." Without denigrating such institutions as a free press, independent judiciaries, and representative democracy, Melkonian suggests that socialism - conceived as the state power of workers, rather than capitalists - holds greater promise than Rorty's liberal utopia for the supreme purposes of extending freedom and ameliorating suffering."--BOOK JACKET.


Book Synopsis Richard Rorty's Politics by : Markar Melkonian

Download or read book Richard Rorty's Politics written by Markar Melkonian and published by Humanities Press International. This book was released on 1999 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Markar Melkonian meets Rorty head-on, taking him to task for insufficiently repudiating universal values, essentialism, and other metaphysical views he claims to have abandoned. Melkonian does this in the course of making the case that the existing liberal democracies Rorty wants to defend bear little resemblance to Rorty's own liberal utopia, in which "the quest for autonomy is impeded as little as possible by social institutions." Without denigrating such institutions as a free press, independent judiciaries, and representative democracy, Melkonian suggests that socialism - conceived as the state power of workers, rather than capitalists - holds greater promise than Rorty's liberal utopia for the supreme purposes of extending freedom and ameliorating suffering."--BOOK JACKET.


Solidarity in the Conversation of Humankind

Solidarity in the Conversation of Humankind

Author: Norman Geras

Publisher: Verso Books

Published: 2020-05-05

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1789607132

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What are the sources of solidarity? Do universalist motives have an important place among them? And how are they related to arguments about human nature and about truth? In this new book, Norman Geras engages with the work of Richard Rorty to explore the paradoxes of a liberalism which rejects any determinate view of human nature. He begins by examining Rorty's thesis concerning rescuer behavior during the Holocaust. Measuring it against existing research on the subject and the testimony of rescuers themselves, Geras questions Rorty's use of their moral example as a challenge to universalist assumptions. He then considers some of the problems in Rorty's anti-essentialism: his shifting usages of "human nature"; the paradoxical plea for extensive forms of solidarity on the basis of parochial communitarian premises; the relationship of pragmatist notions of truth to issues of justice; and the project of a democratic, would-be "humanist" utopia grounded only on contingencies. Solidarity in the Conversation of Humankind is an imagined dialogue with Rorty-influential, eloquent and unorthodox champion of a human radical liberalism.


Book Synopsis Solidarity in the Conversation of Humankind by : Norman Geras

Download or read book Solidarity in the Conversation of Humankind written by Norman Geras and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the sources of solidarity? Do universalist motives have an important place among them? And how are they related to arguments about human nature and about truth? In this new book, Norman Geras engages with the work of Richard Rorty to explore the paradoxes of a liberalism which rejects any determinate view of human nature. He begins by examining Rorty's thesis concerning rescuer behavior during the Holocaust. Measuring it against existing research on the subject and the testimony of rescuers themselves, Geras questions Rorty's use of their moral example as a challenge to universalist assumptions. He then considers some of the problems in Rorty's anti-essentialism: his shifting usages of "human nature"; the paradoxical plea for extensive forms of solidarity on the basis of parochial communitarian premises; the relationship of pragmatist notions of truth to issues of justice; and the project of a democratic, would-be "humanist" utopia grounded only on contingencies. Solidarity in the Conversation of Humankind is an imagined dialogue with Rorty-influential, eloquent and unorthodox champion of a human radical liberalism.


Richard Rorty

Richard Rorty

Author: Michael Bacon

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9780739114995

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Michael Bacon gives a critical presentation of Rorty's writings on pragmatism and political theory, comparing and contrasting him with pragmatists such as Hilary Putnam and Susan Haack and liberals such as John Rawls and Brian Barry. The result is an imaginative presentation of one of contemporary philosophy's most innovative and important thinkers.


Book Synopsis Richard Rorty by : Michael Bacon

Download or read book Richard Rorty written by Michael Bacon and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2008 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Bacon gives a critical presentation of Rorty's writings on pragmatism and political theory, comparing and contrasting him with pragmatists such as Hilary Putnam and Susan Haack and liberals such as John Rawls and Brian Barry. The result is an imaginative presentation of one of contemporary philosophy's most innovative and important thinkers.