Pragmatism as Anti-Authoritarianism

In his final book, Richard Rorty argues that anti-authoritarianism is the principal impulse and virtue of pragmatism, acknowledging that our cultural inheritance is always open to revision. He suggests that the test of ideas is whether they work and produce the peace, freedom, and happiness we desire. This book offers a more accessible account of pragmatism and challenges the traditions arrayed against social justice.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 11 June 2024
Publisher: Harvard University Press

Richard Rorty was a philosopher who made a significant impact on the field in the last half-century. His unique literary style, intellectual zest, and defiance of official philosophy were on full display in his final book.

Coherent, often brilliant, and it presents a clear and timely case for political pragmatism.

Today, there are few philosophers left whose thoughts are inspired by a unifying vision; there are even fewer who can articulate such a view in terms of such a ravishing flow of provocative, but sharp and differentiated, arguments.

Richard Rorty's final masterwork offers his culminating thoughts on the influential version of pragmatism he began to articulate decades ago in his groundbreaking Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. He identifies anti-authoritarianism as the principal impulse and virtue of pragmatism. Anti-authoritarianism, in this view, means acknowledging that our cultural inheritance is always open to revision because no authority exists to ascertain the truth, once and for all. If we cannot rely on the unshakable certainties of God or nature, then all we have left to go on—and argue with—are the opinions and ideas of our fellow humans. The test of these ideas, Rorty suggests, is relatively simple: Do they work? Do they produce the peace, freedom, and happiness we desire? To achieve this enlightened pragmatism is not easy, though. Pragmatism demands trust. It demands that we think and care about what we are doing.

Richard Rorty's final book is a testament to his enduring legacy as a philosopher who challenged conventional thinking and offered a fresh perspective on the world. His unique literary style, intellectual zest, and defiance of official philosophy continue to inspire and provoke readers to this day.

Weight: 254g
Dimension: 138 x 209 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674295476