Rorty on Conversation as an Achievement of Hope

Author: Cooke E.F.

Source: Contemporary Pragmatism, Volume 1, Number 1, 1 June 2004 , pp. 83-102(20)

Publisher: Rodopi

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Abstract:

Richard Rorty's ideal of "keeping the conversation going" requires a further distinction between genuine conversation and simply "going through the motions" if we are to make the most of this recommendation. I argue for a requirement for the conditions of conversation, which draws on Rorty's emphasis on the importance of hope for defining our social vocabularies. On this view, hope is a belief about what is possible for the future. In conversation, hope for the conversation actually conditions the questions one asks in the present. And, in genuine conversation, the participants share a common hope in answering a question.

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Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2004-06-01