Skip to main content
Log in

Rorty's critique of foundationalism

  • Published:
Philosophical Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary and conclusion

Rorty's critique concentrates on one aspect of foundationalism: the claim that nonpropositional sensory awareness serves as the basis for propositional justification. This claim is an essential component of classical foundationalism, though not necessarily of the more moderate versions of foundationalism that have been proposed. Thus even if it were a successful critique it would tell against only one type of foundationalism. But nothing in Rorty's argument provides any reason to doubt the plausibility of a classical foundationalist explanation of why sensory awareness justifies ordinary nonbasic propositions. Even classical foundationalism, then, remains untouched by Rorty's critique.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Bibliography

  • Bernstein, Richard: 1980, ‘Philosophy in the Conversation of Mankind’, Review of Metaphysics 33.

  • Chisholm, Roderick M.: 1966, Theory of Knowledge, first edition (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Chisholm, Roderick M.: 1977, Theory of Knowledge, second edition (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, Kenneth: 1984, ‘Rorty on Objectivity, Truth, and Social Consensus’, International Philosophical Quarterly 24.

  • Goldman, Alvin I.: 1981, ‘Review of Rorty’ [1979], Philosophical Review 90.

  • Goldman, Alvin I.: 1986, Epistemology and Cognition (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hacking, Ian: 1980, ‘Is the End in Sight for Epistemology?’, Journal of Philosophy 77.

  • Hiley, David: 1980, ‘Review of Rorty’ [1979], International Philosophical Quarterly 20.

  • Hunter, Bruce: 1982, ‘Critical Notice of Rorty’ [1979], Canadian Journal of Philosophy 12.

  • Kim, Jaegwon: 1980, ‘Rorty on the Possibility of Philosophy’, Journal of Philosophy 77.

  • Levi, Isaac: 1981, ‘Edification According to Rorty’, Canadian Journal of Philosophy 11.

  • Lewis, C. I.: 1929, Mind and the World Order (Scribner's, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, C. I.: 1946, An Analysis of Knowledge and Valuation (Open Court, LaSalle, Ill.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Moser, Paul K.: 1985a, ‘Does Foundationalism Rest on a Mistake?’, Conceptus 19.

  • Moser, Paul K.: 1985b, Empirical Justification (D. Reidel, Dordrecht).

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, Chris: 1981, ‘Critical Discussion of Rorty’ [1979], Australasian Journal of Philosophy 59.

  • Palmer, Anthony: 1983, ‘Review of Rorty’ [1979], Mind 92.

  • Pollock, John L.: 1974, Knowledge and Justification (Princeton University Press, Princeton).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollock, John L.: 1979, ‘A Plethora of Epistemological Theories’, in G. S. Pappas (ed.), Justification and Knowledge (D. Reidel, Dordrecht).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rorty, Richard: 1979, Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (Princeton University Press, Princeton).

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, Robert: 1983, ‘Review of Rorty’ [1979], Journal of Philosophy 80.

  • Sellars, Wilfred S.: 1963, ‘Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind’, in Science, Perception and Reality (Routledge and Kegan Paul, London).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sosa, Ernest: 1983, ‘Nature Unmirrored, Epistemology Naturalized’, Synthese 55.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Triplett, T. Rorty's critique of foundationalism. Philosophical Studies 52, 115–129 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354161

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354161

Keywords

Navigation