Obituary: Richard Rorty

[speed]

A philosophical great died this weekend. A man influenced by pragmatism and analytical philosophy; a man who like his influences (Nietszche, Dewey, Wittgenstein, Heidegger), believed truth and theory to be useless and impossible; a man who urged us to consider problems of the world. And, if not the greatest accolade, a true free-thinker.

Links to obituaries of Rorty can be found here: http://politicstheoryphotography.blogspot.com/2007/06/richard-rorty-1931-2007.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/obituaries/11rorty.html?_r=1&ref=books&oref=slogin

 

[derbeder]

Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature is Rorty's most well-worked out philosophical book. Many here would enjoy reading it, I think.

 

[Cythraul]

Holy crap. Richard Rorty died?

 

[speed]

Holy crap. Richard Rorty died?

Academia finally crushed him--hehe. He was a favorite of mine over the last year. A shame it took me so long to read him.

 

[derbeder]

One of my professors had been a student of Rorty's in the early 90's. We talked about Rorty's ideas once in a while and he used to say the guy had an amazing memory for everything he read - from philosophy to literature to politics. I had a chance to see him give a lecture in an English department close by two years ago but I missed it.

 

[speed]

One of my professors had been a student of Rorty's in the early 90's. We talked about Rorty's ideas once in a while and he used to say the guy had an amazing memory for everything he read - from philosophy to literature to politics. I had a chance to see him give a lecture in an English department close by two years ago but I missed it.

A shame. I was surprised to hear he had become a literature professor these last few years. I suppose thats whats happened to philosophy--its become nothing more than literature unless one wishes to tackle "serious" analytical philosophy. And god knows how atrocious the literature departments are in most American universities.

 

[speed]

Excellent comments from the top members of society and academia on Rorty's ideas and impact: http://www.slate.com/id/2168488

 

[Nile577]

Excellent comments from the top members of society and academia on Rorty's ideas and impact: http://www.slate.com/id/2168488

Thanks for the link, Speed. I was saddened to hear about Richard Rorty dying. By all accounts he did much to make continental thought (a pretty awful distinction) 'acceptable' in English-speaking academia.

 

[speed]

Thanks for the link, Speed. I was saddened to hear about Richard Rorty dying. By all accounts he did much to make continental thought (a pretty awful distinction) 'acceptable' in English-speaking academia.

Is it acceptable these days? I dont know--honestly.

 

[infoterror]

His last words were: "My God, it's full of BENEVOLENT FASCISM."