From: MATTHEW PAUL KUNDERT (mpkundert@students.wisc.edu)
Date: Sun Sep 21 2003 - 21:28:30 BST
Patrick,
Patrick said:
Hope you don't mind if I hop in here too. I've recently read a fresh book mainly on Rorty. What struck me particularly is Rorty's insistance on the relevance of the problems right here and now, in politics or our local environment, or even when we're drinking beer with friends. All-too-abstract thinking, pointing to a general ground is always _beyond_ the here and now. Having principles, morals and values doesn't mean they should be based in some objective reality, outside daily life and eternally valid, irrespective of particular situations at hand.
What this means to me is that abstractions and general stated morals should not be a starting- and an endpoint, but merely a tool, something you can refer to in a open discussion. What matters is the situation at hand, not a reference to some objective dream.
Matt:
That is an excellent reading of Rorty that gives us, what I would call, a proper understanding of Rorty. It gets at the spirit of his letter.
What book did you read?
Matt
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