Important note:  If you are not a philosophy major, you may be allowed to take this course but only if you have taken at least several philosophy (or humanties / social sciences) courses before.  Consult with me if you intend to take the course so that I can assess if your background is adequate.

This course is about pragmatism which emerged as a philosophical school in the USA about a century ago and is currently regarded as one of the most influential philosophical perspectives or approaches now.  We will take a look at the original defenders of this movement and then consider some of its more recent proponents.  Our aim is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of pragmatism vis-a-vis its ontological and epistemological aspects and also with regard to its social-political implications.  We will also try to evaluate pragmatism from a broader philosophical perspective, asking the question of how pragmatism views philosophy as an intellectual discipline.  To that end we will focus on Richard Rorty's ideas on truth and the identity of philosophy.  We will discuss Rorty's reading of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and evaluate his controversial construal of Orwell and related ideas.