The revitalization of American pragmatism in the 1970s

Richard Rorty’s pragmatic-linguistic turn

Abstract

My aim in this paper is to qualify the historical moment of revival of the American pragmatism in the 1970s. Richard Rorty is the name of greater expression when the question is to think the bases upon which this revival should happen, namely, Quine’s, Sellars’ and Davidson’s linguistic holism. The antifoundationalism which streams from the work of these three philosophers opened the door for a vigorous resumption of pragmatism, now, however, improved with the elements of the post-analytic philosophy of language. Without any concession to the epistemological problems intrinsic in the concept of “experience” (the hard core of classical pragmatism) the new pragmatism takes “language” in its structuring function. “Experience” and “language” are therefore the key concepts of this history.