Abstract: The study starts with the derivation and original meaning of “pragmatism”, focusing on the new appearance of “pragmatism” in the dimension of “linguistic turn”, “truth” and “progress”, and exhibiting the constitution of Rorty’s theoretical system in regard to his inheritance of philosophers and philosophical schools with different backgrounds.
Keywords: Rorty, new pragmatism, language, truth, progress
Contents
Abstract 1
摘 要 1
Introduction 2
1.1 The background of Richard Rorty 2
1.2 Pragmatism and its first definition from Pierce 3
1.3 William James and John Dewey 4
1.4 Rorty’s conclusion of the differences between classical pragmatism and new pragmatism 5
2 The constitution of Rorty’s theory 6
2.1 “Linguistic Turn” and pragmatism 6
2.1.1 Early Analytic Philosophy 6
2.1.2 Later Wittgenstein’s “language-game” 7
2.1.3 Post-Wittgenstein analytic philosophy 8
2.1.4 Continental “linguistic turn” 9
2.1.5 From “experience” to “language” 10
2.2 Ideas about truth 11
2.2.1 Traditional “the mirror of nature” 11
2.2.2 Nietzsche’s ideas about truth 12
2.2.3 Rorty’s related ideas about Heidegger and Derrida 13
2.2.4 Rorty’s conclusion: metaphors and pragmatism 14
2.3 The ideas about social progress 16
2.3.1 Utilitarianism and Liberalism 16
2.3.2 Combination of Hegel and Darwin 17
2.3.3 Progress of morality 18
3. Conclusion 19
Work Cited 20
Acknowledgements 21
