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  2. R.I.P. Richard Rorty

R.I.P. Richard Rorty

By mixingmemory on June 9, 2007.

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I just learned that Richard Rorty died Friday. I was a big fan of his work as an undergrad, and at that time both Consequences of Pragmatism and Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity had a big influence on my thinking. I suppose they still do indirectly, though I'm less impressed with them now than I was then. He was one of the (very) few contemporary philosophers whom I found really inspiring, even when he was downright frustrating. So I'm sad to hear he's no longer around. Love him or hate him, English-language philosophy needs many more people writing interesting, far-reaching, and far-sighted philosophy, and can't afford to lose any of those who are.

UPDATE: Here are some other people's thoughts on Rorty's passing that I've come across:

John Holbo at The Valve

Brian Leiter at Leiter Reports

Jacob Levy

"Duck" at DuckRabbit

N. Pepperell at Rough Theory

Sean Carroll at Cosmic Variance

Peter Bradwell at Demos

Daniel Solove at Concurring Opinions

Christopher Hayes (via Rough Theory)

David Roberts at The Gristmill (via Rough Theory)

John Wilkins at Evolving Thoughts

If you have posted your own reflections, let me know. It's nice to see such a broad range of people, from physicists and analytic philosophers to broadly continental sorts, remembering him fondly. Like I said, far-reaching.

Tags
Philosophy

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