Rorty, Pragmatism, and Confucianism
With Responses by Richard Rorty
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An engagement between Confucianism and the philosophy of Richard Rorty.
Description
Rorty, Pragmatism, and Confucianism offers a fascinating conversation between Confucianism, historically the dominant tradition in Chinese thought and society, and the contemporary philosophy of Richard Rorty. Well aware that his philosophical hero, John Dewey, has had a lasting influence among Chinese intellectuals, Rorty expressed a wish that his own books, which have been rapidly translated into Chinese, be read as an updated version of Dewey's philosophy. In this book, twelve authors engage Rorty's thought in a hermeneutic dialogue with Confucianism, using Confucianism to interpret and reconstruct Rorty while exploring such topics as human nature, moral psychology, moral relativism, moral progress, democracy, tradition, moral metaphysics, and religiosity. Rorty himself provides a detailed reply to each author.
Yong Huang is Professor of Philosophy at Kutztown University and the author of Religious Goodness and Political Rightness: Beyond the Liberal-Communitarian Debate.
Reviews
"…the volume is a valuable expansion of the scope of contemporary Confucian scholarship. " — Philosophy East & West
"…all the essays in this volume go a long way toward facilitating a productive dialogue between pragmatism and Confucian thought. As both of these traditions struggle to redefine themselves in the present and future cultural contexts—both on their native soils and abroad—a book like this will continue to prove useful for a long time to come. " — China Review International