Review by Choice Review
This collection contains 20 of Richard Rorty's essays from the past ten years. With the exception of the afterword, all the material here has appeared elsewhere, although the essays in section 2 appear in English for the first time. The first section contains one paper, largely autobiographical. The papers in the second provide a stripped-down account of Rorty's version of pragmatism and respond to some standard criticisms. In section 3 Rorty makes use of a pragmatic lens to look at contemporary cultural issues, such as the proper role of courts and the judiciary and the cultural literacy debate. Section 4 contains discussions of contemporary political theory, especially Marxism, all informed by Rorty's pragmatism. The papers in section 5 are a rather loose collection of observations on and critiques of the current social and political climate in the US. This readable introduction to Rorty's thought has material of interest to political scientists, sociologists, philosophers, and perhaps literary theoreticians. Undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty who want to familiarize themselves with Rorty's work will find it very useful, as will those who are interested in contemporary pragmatism. Given Rorty's intellectual stature and his contributions to current philosophical and cultural debates, all academic libraries should add this book to their collections. M. A. Michael; Austin Peay State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
