A Pragmatist's Progress? Richard Rorty and American Intellectual History

In this volume, a host of distinguished scholars examine Richard Rorty's influence on twentieth-century American pragmatism and its commitment to achieving social democracy. Rorty's reclaiming of the pragmatist tradition and his contribution to the discipline of intellectual history are highlighted; at the same time, each essay finds Rorty's pragmatism (most fully enunciated in Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity) lacking in its privatist vision of the good life. This criticism is drawn out through explicit comparisons between Rorty and his grandfather Walter Rauschenbusch, William James, John Dewey, Randolph Bourne, Richard J. Bernstein, and other twentieth century pragmatist thinkers. This volume offers the most complete historical treatment of this controversial intellectual to date.

Barry Allen teaches philosophy at McMaster University (Ontario, Canada) Casey Nelson Blake is professor of history and director of the American Studies Program at Columbia University Jeffrey C. Isaac is the Rudy Professor of Political Science and director of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Public Life at Indiana University, Bloomington James T. Kloppenberg is professor of history at Harvard University James Livingston teaches U.S. history at Rutgers University John Pettegrew teaches U.S. history at Lehigh University, where he is also director of the American Studies Program Richard Rorty taught at Wellesley College for three years, Princeton University for twenty-one years, and the University of Virginia for fifteen years, and is now at Stanford Joan Williams has taught at Harvard, University of Virginia, and is currently professor of law at American University Law Schools