Essay Questions

What is Rorty’s opinion regarding ethos and societal influence on the construction of truth?

Rorty disagrees with the philosophical assumption that society and culture are partly responsible for the construction of truth. Instead, Rorty narrows down his assertion and says that individuals use their senses to determine truth and false. Rorty supports his proclamations by deliberating on vital logical model shifts which define collective subjectivity. Additionally, Rorty says that when people accept ancient scientific findings which are faulty, they are likely to believe in future and current assumptions.

According to Rorty, how should human beings embrace beliefs?

People are more concerned about their internal and external beliefs than factual realities. According to Rorty, people should not be more concerned about what they cannot substantiate. Therefore, Rorty argues that beliefs should be lightly held because they are not factual. Rorty argues that subjective truth is not based on assumptions but facts that can be proved.

Why is it so challenging to obtain unbiassed truth?

According to Rorty, people think that truth is fundamentally idiosyncratic or unbiased based on the judgment made by scientists and juries. Rorty argues that subjective or objective reality is based on an individual's experience through perception. Unfortunately, people tend to ignore their perceptions and experiences and only believe in theories with factual findings. Therefore, getting objective truth is difficult because many people are unwilling to accept their perceptions.