Richard Rorty's Philosophy; Junction of Pragmatism and Postmodernism

This article deals with the influence of pragmatism and postmodernism on the formation of Richard Rorty’s neo-pragmatism. Naturalism, Darwinism, and instrumentalism are among the foundations of the classical pragmatism which had also influenced Rorty’s neo-pragmatism. Dewey and James have had great impact on Rorty. Postmodernism and its basic ideas, such as the death of the subject, irrationalism, and the denial of reality, can be seen as active players in the making of Rorty’s ideas. This is why he sympathizes with most of postmodern thinkers, such as Derrida, the latter Wittgenstein, and Lyotard in their critique of modernism.