Richard Rorty & Pragmatism

Richard Rorty passed away recently. You can read a bit about him here and here. I only read one of his books (this one), but I thought it was fantastic. You can read more about it here.

Rorty was heir to the American philosophy of pragmatism, which said that: "meaning and the truth of any idea is a function of its practical outcome. Fundamental to pragmatism is a strong antiabsolutism: the conviction that all principles are to be regarded as working hypotheses rather than as metaphysically binding axioms."

From a pragmatic point of view, context is everything--what is 'best' or 'right' is contingent on the motivations, goals, observer, etc. This might seem almost like a given in today's information age, where so many voices have filled up the public arena that there can be little doubt that all of us define our own truths on our own terms. Indeed, pragmatism seems all the more important in today's complex and interconnected world, where notions of absolutism seem ever more distortive and misleading. The principle that what matters is what 'works', and what is best is what makes people happy, takes on a new significance in an age of globalization, diversity, and inescapable relativism.

To get an idea of the 'common sense' approach of pragmatism, check this out, from John Dewey, a father of pragmatism, circa 1937:

I conclude by saying that the present subject is one of peculiar importance at the present time. The fundamental beliefs and practices of democracy are now challenged as they never have been before. In some nations they are more than challenged. They are ruthlessly and systematically destroyed. Everywhere there are waves of criticism and doubt as to whether democracy can meet pressing problems of order and security. The causes for the destruction of political democracy in countries where it was nominally established are complex. But of one thing I think we may be sure. Wherever it has fallen it was too exclusively political in nature. It had not become part of the bone and blood of the people in daily conduct of its life. Democratic forms were limited to Parliament, elections and combats between parties. What is happening proves conclusively, I think, that unless democratic habits of thought and action are part of the fiber of a people, political democracy is insecure. It can not stand in isolation. It must be buttressed by the presence of democratic methods in all social relationships.

Man, wouldn't this have been helpful in Iraq? Pragmatism is about embracing the big issues in life, but in a way that never disconnects them from reality. We desperately need pragmatism again in America.

Read up on Rorty, Dewey, and the rest of the pragmatists when you have a sec. You'll be glad you did.