Review by Choice Review
Combining biographical description and sociological analysis, Gross (sociology, Harvard) has produced a trenchant study that aims to identify the structural forces that helped shape one of America's most controversial and widely discussed philosophers, Richard Rorty. As a sociologist of ideas, Gross uses Rorty as an exemplar to road test his theory of "intellectual self-concept" in relation to three pivotal junctures in his subject's career trajectory: the choice of a master's thesis on Whiteheadian metaphysics, the linguistic turn toward the analytic paradigm, and the eventual embrace of pragmatism along Deweyian lines. Gross also provides revealing glimpses into the parochialism and machinations of philosophy departments in some elite US higher education institutions as they vie for academic stars to teach their gifted students and run their high-octane graduate programs. The Rorty that emerges from this finely etched work is less the insouciant iconoclast and more the potent provocateur who sees the philosophical enterprise not as a misguided attempt to ground morality in transcendental absolutes or to capture reality as it is in itself, but as an informed effort to reach consensus on how to increase human happiness. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. H. I. Einsohn Middlesex Community College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The contemporary philosopher Richard Rorty (1931-2007) was the epitome of a successful academic--educated and then employed at prestigious institutions, he saw his influence extend into sociology, cultural studies and literary criticism. Harvard assistant professor Gross concentrates on Rorty's professional successes in academia and sends a discouraging message to both the graduate student and the academy. Using Rorty's career as a case study, Gross observes the "social hierarchy" among disciplines and notes that academics are largely motivated by desires for intellectual prestige, that "radical intellectual innovation is most likely to come, not from young scholars, but from those who are sufficiently established as to be able to take bold professional risks," and that "aspiring intellectuals compete with one another for the limited attention of mentors." Citing the case of Rorty's first wife, Amelie--who was also trained as a philosopher, but was repeatedly forced to sacrifice her career for Rorty's--Gross illuminates the unequal opportunities for the ambitious wives of male intellectuals. The book's subtle yet scathing critique of the tenure and promotion systems within universities reveals how such systems actually inhibit innovation in young scholars. A specialized sociological study of the academy, this book will appeal to all those concerned with the state of research in higher education. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Gross (sociology, Harvard Univ.) uses the life and thought of highly regarded, if controversial, philosopher Richard Rorty (1931-2007) to propound a sociological theory about the intellectual development of academic humanists and social scientists. The resulting book is as much about a detailed theory of the sociology of ideas as it is about the life, thought, and career of the philosopher. Gross effectively covers the main phases of Rorty's professional life, from his childhood as the only child of left-leaning parents, enrollment at 15 for a master's degree at the University of Chicago, and Ph.D. studies in philosophy at Yale to his turn away from hard-core analytic philosophy to the broader subject concerns found in the humanities. Rorty's relationship with his parents is told in captivating and pertinent detail, but the biographical information concerning his later life is limited, which prevents this from being a full biography. Aside from these considerations, this study is essential for academic sociology, philosophy, intellectual history, and biography collections in academic libraries, as well as for public libraries collecting comprehensively in those subjects. Highly recommended.--Leon H. Brody, Falls Church, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
