Rorty’s Debt to Darwinism

Abstract Richard Rorty’s naturalism has been characterized as “tactical” rather than “ontological” – a distinction that, while accurate given Rorty’s general avoidance of ontological commitments, has obscured the depth of Darwin’s influence on his thought. This article addresses this oversight by providing a detailed analysis of Rorty’s use of Darwin. The analysis proceeds in two steps. First, it elucidates Darwin’s role in Rorty’s negative project of renouncing Platonism. Second, it highlights Darwin’s importance for Rorty’s positive project of developing an account of linguistic evolution. By pressing the analogy between language and biology, the article reveals that Darwin’s role in Rorty’s work is more than a rhetorical device; it is a substantive influence that shapes his thinking about cultural change in fundamental ways. Unearthing the “evolutionary Rorty” opens new ways to understand his pragmatism, by illuminating the relation between his naturalism and his thinking about cultural change.