Orwellian Control

In the face of such a painful realization, Mr. Rorty claims that his philosophy consists in the proposal of a new vocabulary, in which the differences between absolute and relative, natural and artificial, true and false, will be abolished. He acknowledges having no argument to offer in defense of his proposal, since it, "not being able to be expressed in Platonic terminology," is above, or below, the possibility of being proved or refuted. "Therefore", he concludes in the name of all pragmatists, "our efforts of persuasion take the form of a gradual inculcation of new ways of speaking."

Mr. Rorty, therefore, does not intend to convince us of the truth of his ideas: he only intends to "gradually inculcate" in us his way of speaking; which, once adopted, will make us gradually forget to ask if what is said is true or false.

But, to gradually inculcate in others a linguistic habit, while at the same time putting it beyond the reach of any rational judgment, is sheer psychological manipulation.  We leave, therefore, the field of philosophical discussion–which Rortyanism rejects as "Platonic"–to enter the field of the subtle imposition of wills achieved through the repetition of slogans and the change of vocabulary. It is what George Orwell has called Newspeak in his novel 1984.

This is perhaps the deep and secret reason why–after saying that men are nothing but animals in search of pleasure and reducing language to an instrument for the domination of weak animals by the strong ones–Mr. Rorty still can declare that "we, pragmatists, do not behave like animals," when his words seemed to indicate the exact opposite.

The truth is that they are, actually, animal trainers. A man who trains horses does not argue with them: he just makes use of psychological influence in order to "gradually inculcate" in them the habits he desires them to have.

Like all trainers, pragmatists are driven by pious intentions: "What matters to us is to create the means for diminishing human suffering." It is with such a noble goal that Mr. Rorty proposes the abolition of the oppositions between false and true, real and apparent, absolute and relative etc.–which concepts, by the way, have been causing great distress to philosophy students–and suggests the universal adoption of his Newspeak.

Once such a measure is approved, philosophical debates will cease to be as they once were–that is, an uncomfortable clash of arguments and proofs–and will become an effort to make as pleasurable and pain-free as possible the gradual inculcation of new habits in the minds of the audience. New theories will no longer summon the heavy weapons of logic, but rather employ the delicate instruments of marketing, giving out free gifts to new followers, and putting smiling Playboy bunnies on the covers of academic works.

Embracing the Meaningless

But Mr. Rorty's decisive contribution to the relief of human suffering is his fierce combat against the idea that life may have a meaning. It is understandable that, in a meaningful universe, Mr. Rorty feels very uncomfortable–an outsider, a stranger, just like a non-pragmatist would feel in a meaningless world. However, Mr. Rorty sees no use in arguing with those who do not agree with him. The controversy over the existence or non-existence of a meaning intrinsic to the universe, as he says, "is way too radical to be judged from a neutral point of view." There is no way to argue: all that a man can do is to express his desires.

Therefore, once again, Mr. Rorty's thesis is a declaration of intentions: he, Richard Rorty, will do everything within his power in order to guarantee that life makes no sense whatsoever. And he does that, by the way, with great zeal and competence. There are those who believe that it is the lack of meaning that makes human beings unhappy , but Mr Rorty just couldn't care less.

He does defends democratic pluralism, the expression of all points of view. Yet, the confrontation of points of view, unable to be arbitrated by any intellectually valid means, becomes a mere competition between desires, which will have as winner the party with the greatest ability to manipulate.

Those who know Mr. Rorty personally guarantee he is a really nice person. I believe that. But I doubt he wags his tail. After all, he's not the animal in the story.