Richard Rorty

Reviews / Votes

Ronald Kuipers has written a well-informed, interesting, and clear overview of Richard Rorty's contributions to American thought. I find it especially instructive on Rorty's thinking about religion and politics. Even after his death, Richard Rorty is still "the most interesting philosopher in the world today" (Harold Bloom). Kuipers' book provides the best introduction to all facets of Rorty's work, not only for the beginning reader but also for anyone who cares about the relevance of philosophy today. The chapter on Rorty as Anticlerical Prophet is a tour de force. This is a good book for students coming to Rorty for the first time. We have the biography that formed the man, the criticism of "representation" that launched the bad-boy of analytic philosophy, and the political thought of the liberal ironist. Kuipers has an ear for Rorty's distinctive voice, and is skillful in pinning down what he calls "Rorty's philosophical evasions." Ronald Kuipers' study into the life and work of Richard Rorty is fresh, informed and insightful. Rarely are philosophical commentaries such a delight to read, but Kuipers' nails it. On the fifth anniversary of Professor Rorty's passing, Kuipers' book is also well timed. It's a reminder of how Rorty's thought remains relevant and of how sorely his presence is missed in these turbulent times.