Abstract
For many, Rorty was a postmodern relativist and Popper was a positivist and Cold War liberal ideologue. The argument developed here rejects such views and explores how Rorty’s work is best understood from a Popperian problem-solving perspective. It is argued that Rorty erred in seeking justification for beliefs, unlike Popper who replaced the search for justification with criticism. Nonetheless, Rorty’s arguments about post-Nietzschean theory and reformism function as important updates to Popper’s arguments about methodological essentialism and piecemeal social engineering, respectively.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 73-94 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | Social Epistemology |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 3 Jul 2013 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Jan 2015 |
Keywords
- Authority
- Criticism
- Popper
- Problem-Solving
- Rorty