Philosophy and Social Hope
by Richard Rorty

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Book Reviews of Philosophy and Social Hope

Book Review: A Book Useful for Thoughtful People Everywhere
Summary: 5 Stars

Although Rorty writes here for a generalised audience (and its not always obvious from his writing whether the work is "academic" or not), he does write as if his readers know what he is talking about. Thus, readers who come equipped with a Deweyan, Davidsonian, Jamesian vocabulary are more likely to be able to appropriate what he is saying more easily. I suspect any adherents of realist philosophy who stumble across this book will not get past the introduction and will go away angry and scandalised that such thought be allowed to exist, much less be promoted and read.

I found the opening three sections (autobiographical, pragmatic theoretical and pragmatic applicative) by far the most interesting and enjoyable here - together with a stimulating "afterword" on "Pragmatism, Pluralism and Postmodernism" - which is itself a good place to start reading this book. Being a non-American, I was less enthusiastic about reading Rorty's thoughts and hopes for that country. However, much of what he says is broadly aplicative to my own country and the reader is always free to look behind the scenes of Rorty's argument and, once more, gaze upon what motivates his arguments. In closing, I would argue that Rorty is the most significant figure writing on culture in general and philosophy in particular at the moment. This collection of his works over the last decade is an accessible and stimulating way to appropriate that work. Mucho recommendo!

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