The eminent philosopher Richard Rorty died Friday, June 8th, at the age of 75. I am honored to have been granted the final interview with him before his death.
I'm grateful to Matt Rothschild of The Progressive for asking me to do the interview--as I am, needless to say, to Rorty himself for agreeing to it, particularly given the pain he endured during his final months.
The interview has appeared in translation in German (in the newspaper Die Welt), Italian (in the newspaper Corriere della Serra), and Portuguese (in the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo). It will also appear soon in Polish.
I first interviewed Rorty in 1989. We remained in touch in the intervening 18 years, over the course of which we developed a warm relationship. I interviewed him a few more times over the years, and was his editor for this exchange between him and the Iranian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo. Rorty's writings were a source of stimulation and excitement to me going back 20 years, to my first year of college. I will miss having him as a correspondent and interlocutor. Soon I will publish some further reflections on him. Stay tuned...