Rorty and the Mirror of Nature
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'The book is clearly written and fair-minded throughout, just the sort of work one would want as a guidebook for reading an important and difficult book. In this sense, it seems clear about its audience and will be useful for a sophisticated study of Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature and also of interest to those who already have a good deal of background and familiarity with Rorty.' David Hiley, University of New Hampshire, USA
'This is well-written, clear, accessible, sharp and pitched at the right level. It strikes the right balance between the detailed exploration of particular arguments, and setting Rorty's book in a wider intellectual context.' Matthew Festenstein, University of York, UK
Product Description
Richard Rorty is one of the most influential, controversial and widely-read philosophers of the twentieth century. In this GuideBook to Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature Tartaglia analyzes this challenging text and introduces and assesses:
- Rorty's life and the background to his philosophy
- the key themes and arguments of Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature
- the continuing importance of Rorty's work to philosophy.
Rorty and the Mirror of Nature is an ideal starting-point for anyone new to Rorty, and essential reading for students in philosophy, cultural studies, literary theory and social science.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
James Tartaglia has done us the great benefit of bringing together the sometimes rambling and foot-note-heavy arguments of Rorty's seminal Mirror of Nature into a very readable, philosophically astute commentary. Readers coming to Rorty for the first time, and even the philosophically educated who are curious about this iconoclastic figure, could not, to my mind, choose a better or more well-informed and reliable companion to the dismantling of the philosophical edifice that Rorty attempts.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've always enjoyed Rorty's balloon popping style, but, unlike his other books, I've struggled with PMN, probably due to my lack of philosophical training. This book provided the perfect introduction to the key figures (Quine, Sellars, Davidson, Kuhn), and explains their arguments clearly, and how Rorty 'purified' them for his own ends. There is also a wealth of fascinating background information in the text and notes. Mr Tartglia is an impressive writer, lucid, fair, and at times amusing.
There are some quibbles. Unlike Rorty, Mr Tartaglia seems to think philosophical problems are perennial, and not historical contingencies, so there are several attempts to convince you of this. (I wasn't) Kuhn's 'different worlds' and Davidson's lack of conceptual scheme, are beautifully explained but the tensions between them (as illustrated by the Galileo/Bellarmine discussion) are overplayed. There is also a bizarre scientistic argument purported to show how (pace Rorty) science is different from other human activities, based on the fact you could impress someone from the 12th century by taking them flying! But perhaps I missed the point.
Don't let this put you off. There are plenty of remarks acknowledging the power and originality of Rorty's arguments, and his skill as a writer. Mr Tartaglia has done an excellent job in making PMN accessible to a wider audience, and I for one am very grateful. Highly recommended.
There are some quibbles. Unlike Rorty, Mr Tartaglia seems to think philosophical problems are perennial, and not historical contingencies, so there are several attempts to convince you of this. (I wasn't) Kuhn's 'different worlds' and Davidson's lack of conceptual scheme, are beautifully explained but the tensions between them (as illustrated by the Galileo/Bellarmine discussion) are overplayed. There is also a bizarre scientistic argument purported to show how (pace Rorty) science is different from other human activities, based on the fact you could impress someone from the 12th century by taking them flying! But perhaps I missed the point.
Don't let this put you off. There are plenty of remarks acknowledging the power and originality of Rorty's arguments, and his skill as a writer. Mr Tartaglia has done an excellent job in making PMN accessible to a wider audience, and I for one am very grateful. Highly recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is not just an excellent introduction to an important thinker. It's well pitched for either a student or an informed layman, with a clear exposition not just of Rorty's ideas but of how they fit into their context and the broader sweep of western thought. The writing is engaging and imaginative, conveying the subtleties of the subject without becoming overly technical or losing its pace. As the reviews above mention, the author clearly brings many of his own views to the piece, though never to the detriment of the subject, but I think it is this that elevates the work from dry textbook into a genuinely deverting book that is well worth reading in its own right.
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