<< For Rorty, philosophy dissolves into natural science, humanities or psychology
and sociology
JKS: This is one point where I do follow him. Marx of course agreed with this pragmatist move.
SP: One of Rorty's shortcomings is his failure to engage marxism of
any kind.
JKS: His dad, James Rorty, was a former Communist poet who ended up writing anti-Communist screeds for Reader's Digest.
SP: He did have a lacklustre debate with Eagleton in _Radical Philosophy_
saying that marxism was irrelevant since few people believe it, there is no
marxist movement and TINA. He can say this because of his pragmatism and his
eschewing of the correspondence theory of truth. With a corr. theory of truth,
the truth of a theory or a proposition does not depend on how many people
believe it.
JKS: Maybe, but even then you pick your battles. I don't spend time refuting flat Earthers. Rorty thinks that Marxists are flat-Earthers.
SP: think Rorty would benefit from engaging with a theory of ideology.
The 'conversations' he is always alluding to are warped and distorted by
ideology. Ordinary discourse is not communication free from domination.
JKS: Quite right. He resists this notion passionately.
SP: I really
have to read that NOrman Geras book. >>
JKS: Do. It's mostly very good.
--jks