June 29, 2007

Richard Rorty (1931-2007): the View From Somewhere

By CARLIN ROMANO

When Richard Rorty turned 75 last October, no symposia, conferences, or Festschriften marked the occasion. Such academic nods require true-believing disciples. Philosophy as a discipline spawns them like trout — middle-aged professors with the souls of eternal teaching assistants — but great originals like Rorty don't attract them. For the most high-impact American philosopher of the past 30 years, the silence at 75 confirmed a hoary truth: You can love philosophy, but

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