Guide to the Richard Rorty Papers
MS.C.017
Finding aid prepared by Finding aid created by Dawn Schmitz.
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California, 92623-9557
949-824-3947
spcoll@uci.edu
2010
Title: Richard Rorty papers
Collection number: MS.C.017
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Irvine. Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
>
Language of Material:
English.
Physical Description:
24.3 linear feet
(61 boxes and 1 oversized folder)
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1960-2000
Date (inclusive): 1863-2003
Language of Collection Materials: The collection is primarily in English, with some materials in other languages, particularly German and French.
Abstract: Richard Rorty (1931-2007) was a pragmatist philosopher, critical theorist, and public intellectual. This collection comprises
manuscripts, teaching files, professional correspondence, research notes, biographical material, and ephemera. It also includes
some family papers and correspondence, as well as writings dating to his youth. The collection includes digital files transferred
from Rorty's computer disks and made available to researchers electronically.
creator:
Rorty, Richard
Born digital files, 1988-2003 are available online.
Access
The collection is open for research, with the exception of some materials relating to students in Series 5, Teaching files.
Restrictions on the earliest of these student records will be lifted beginning in 2033.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and
their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Reproduction Restriction
All reproduction of materials written by Jacques Derrida must be authorized by designates of his heirs. Contact Special Collections
and Archives for more information.
Preferred Citation
Richard Rorty Papers. MS-C017. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Richard Rorty, 2006.
Processing History
Processed by Dawn Schmitz, with assistance from Brian Garcia, Ali Meghdadi, and Tae Sung, 2009-2010. Modifications to arrangement
of correspondence, Audra Eagle Yun, with scholars Christopher Voparil and Wojciech Malecki, 2012.
Historical Background
Richard McKay Rorty (1931-2007) is commonly described as one of the most influential thinkers of his era. A philosopher with
a remarkably broad intellectual range, his work included the development of a distinctive brand of pragmatism as well as significant
contributions to literary criticism, political theory, and other scholarly fields. He was also a public intellectual, writing
for such publications as
The Nation and
The Atlantic.
Rorty was born on October 4, 1931, in New York City. The son of writers and activists James Rorty and Winifred Raushenbush
Rorty (and the grandson of prominent Social Gospel theologian Walter Rauschenbusch), he later wrote in an autobiographical
sketch, "At 12, I knew that the point of being human was to spend one's life fighting social injustice." His family moved
to Flatbrookville, New Jersey, when he was a child.
Rorty enrolled in the University of Chicago at age 15, eventually earning his B.A. (1949) and M.A. (1952) in philosophy, studying
under Rudolf Carnap, Charles Hartshorne, and Richard McKeon. After completing his Ph.D. (1956) at Yale University with the
dissertation, "The Concept of Potentiality," supervised by Paul Weiss, Rorty served two years in the army before receiving
his first academic appointment at Wellesley College. From 1961 to 1982 Rorty taught in the philosophy department at Princeton
University before moving to the University of Virginia as Kenan Professor of the Humanities. In 1998, Rorty accepted his final
academic position at Stanford University in the Department of Comparative Literature.
While Rorty gained scholarly attention with his article, "Mind-Body Identity, Privacy and Categories," (1965) and his edited
anthology
The Linguistic Turn (1967), his most provocative work was yet to come. By combining what he learned from analytic, continental, and pragmatist
philosophers, Rorty developed an "anti-Philosophy" that emphasized the historical contingency of philosophy as one literary
genre beside the sciences and arts. His version of anti-essentialism and anti-foundationalism was developed in such important
works as
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (1979);
Consequences of Pragmatism (1982);
Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity (1989);
Achieving Our Country (1998);
Philosophy and Social Hope (2000); and four volumes of his philosophical papers:
Objectivity, Relativism, and Truth (1991),
Essays on Heidegger and Others (1991),
Truth and Progress (1998) and
Philosophy as Cultural Politics (2007). The social and political consequences that emerge from this version of neopragmatism, Rorty contended, are those
of a romantic liberalism that promotes justice and democracy by reducing cruelty and increasing solidarity through the redescription
of our contingent vocabularies.
Richard Rorty died of pancreatic cancer June 8, 2007, in Palo Alto, California.
Historical Background
Chronology
| 1931 |
Born on October 4th, in New York City |
| 1946 |
Enrolls in University of Chicago just before his fifteenth birthday |
| 1949 |
B.A., University of Chicago |
| 1952 |
M.A., University of Chicago |
| 1956 |
Ph.D., Yale University (dissertation: "The Concept of Potentiality") |
| 1957-1958 |
Army of the United States |
| 1958-1961 |
Instructor and Assistant Professor, Wellesley College |
| 1961-1982 |
Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor of Philosophy, Princeton University |
| 1967 |
The Linguistic Turn (ed.) published by the University of Chicago Press
|
| 1968-1969 |
American Council of Learned Societies fellowship |
| 1973 |
Exegesis and Argument: Studies in Greek Philosophy Presented to Gregory Vlastos (edited with Edward Lee and Alexander Mourelatos) published by VanGorcum
|
| 1973-1974 |
Guggenheim Fellowship |
| 1979 |
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature published by Princeton University Press
|
| 1979 |
President, American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division |
| 1981-1986 |
MacArthur Fellowship |
| 1982 |
Consequences of Pragmatism published by the University of Minnesota Press
|
| 1982-1998 |
University Professor of the Humanities, University of Virginia (named Professor Emeritus, 1998) |
| 1985 |
Philosophy in History (edited with J.B. Schneewind and Quentin Skinner) published by Cambridge University Press
|
| 1986 |
Northcliffe Lectures, University College, London |
| 1987 |
Clark Lectures, Trinity College, Cambridge |
| 1989 |
Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity published by Cambridge University Press
|
| 1990-1991 |
National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship |
| 1991 |
Objectivity, Relativism, and Truth: Philosophical Papers I published by Cambridge University Press
|
| 1991 |
Essays on Heidegger and Others: Philosophical Papers II published by Cambridge University Press
|
| 1992 |
The Linguistic Turn published in second, enlarged edition by the University of Chicago Press
|
| 1994 |
Hoffnung statt Erkenntnis: Einleitung in die pragmatische Philosophie (three lectures delivered in Vienna and Paris in 1993) published by Passagen Verlag
|
| 1997 |
Truth, Politics and 'Post-Modernism' (Spinoza lectures, University of Amsterdam) published by Van Gorcum
|
| 1997 |
Massey Lectures, Harvard University |
| 1998-2007 |
Professor of Comparative Literature, Stanford University (named Professor Emeritus, 2005) |
| 1998 |
Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America published by Harvard University Press
|
| 1998 |
Truth and Progress: Philosophical Papers III published by Cambridge University Press
|
| 2000 |
Philosophy and Social Hope published by Penguin
|
| 2005 |
The Future of Religion (edited with Gianni Vattimo) published by Columbia University Press
|
| 2006 |
Take Care of Freedom and Truth Will Take Care of Itself, Interviews with Richard Rorty (edited and with an introduction by Eduardo Mendieta) published by Stanford University Press
|
| 2007 |
Philosophy as Cultural Politics: Philosophical Papers IV published by Cambridge University Press
|
| 2007 |
Awarded the Thomas Jefferson Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences by the American
Philosophical Society
|
| 2007 |
Dies on June 8 in Palo Alto, California, at age 75 |
| 2010 |
The Philosophy of Richard Rorty (edited by Randall E. Auxier and Lewis Edwin Hahn) published by Open Court
|
Collection Scope and Content Summary
Richard Rorty (1931-2007) was a pragmatist philosopher, critical theorist, and public intellectual. This collection comprises
manuscripts, teaching files, professional correspondence, research notes, biographical material, and ephemera. It also includes
some family papers and correspondence, as well as writings dating to his youth. The collection includes digital files transferred
from Rorty's computer disks and made available to researchers electronically at
UCIspace @ the Libraries .
Included are: manuscripts and typescripts of published writings, conference papers, invited lectures, public speeches, and
other intellectual work; incoming and outgoing professional correspondence, including manuscripts sent to him by colleagues;
teaching files including lecture notes, syllabi, assignments, and exams; professional activities files; research notes and
other materials; and some biographical material including posters and programs for public lectures and symposia, printed materials
such as reviews of Rorty's work and articles about him, and a very small number of photographs. The collection also includes
a significant amount of family correspondence, dating to Rorty's childhood, as well as his earliest writings. There are also
some papers relating to his parents and some members of his extended family.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 8 series:
- Series 1. Early life and family papers, 1863-2000 (Bulk, 1942-1979), 2.4 linear feet
- Series 2. Writings, 1961-2000, 3.4 linear feet
- Series 3. Correspondence, 1955-2001 (Bulk, 1961-1995), 10.8 linear feet
- Series 4. Notes and research materials, 1962-1999, 1.6 linear feet
- Series 5. Teaching files, 1958-2002, 3.6 linear feet
- Series 6. Professional activities, 1965-1999, 1.4 linear feet
- Series 7. Biographical material, 1964-1997, 0.9 linear feet
- Series 8. Born-digital files, 1988-2003, 0.2 linear feet and 1027 digital files
Processing Note
In order to facilitate access to the collection, processing work on it was expedited. Manuscripts were filed and described
by working title, professional correspondence was filed by the approximate year and the first letter of the correspondent's
name, date ranges were sometimes approximated, and other steps were taken to ensure the materials could be made available
for research in a timely fashion. In 2012, approximately ten modifications were made to the arrangement of the correspondence
based on feedback from two Rorty scholars, who identified correspondent surnames as they researched the Rorty papers.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Rorty, Richard -- Archives
Critical theory--Archives.
Philosophy, American--20th century--Archives.
Series 1. Early life and family papers,
Bulk, 1942-1979
1863-2000
Physical Description:
2.4 Linear feet
Historical Background
Richard Rorty was the son of Winifred Raushenbush Rorty (1894-1979) and James Rorty (1890-1973), both writers and activists
on the left. When Richard was born in 1931 they lived in New York City, but they moved to Flatbrookville, New Jersey, when
he was a child. He was close to his parents and many of the members of his extended family, including his fathers' sisters,
writers Eva Beard and Marion Bullard, both of Woodstock, New York.
At age 15, he began attending the University of Chicago, where he earned his BA (1949) and MA (1952). From there, he entered
Yale where he earned his Ph.D.(1956) with the dissertation, "The Concept of Potentiality." He served in the military from
1957-1958.
He married fellow philosophy graduate student Amélie Oksenberg, the daughter of Klara and Israel Oksenberg, in 1954. Their
son, James (Jay), was born in 1961, and the couple divorced in 1972. A short time later, Richard married Mary Varney, who
had earned her Ph.D. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins in 1970, and the couple had two children, Patricia and Kevin. When he
died of pancreatic cancer at age 75, Richard Rorty was survived by his wife and children.
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes writings and academic work by Richard Rorty from early childhood through his graduate work; correspondence
with his parents, relatives and others; and the papers of some members of his extended family. Subseries 1.1 includes issues
of the
Minisink Valley News, a newsletter Rorty edited as a child; academic work including drafts and notes for his Ph.D. dissertation "The Concept of
Potentiality;" and other papers and correspondence dating to the period previous to the start of his professional life as
an academic. Subseries 1.2 consists of the letters to and from his parents, James Rorty and Winifred Raushenbush Rorty. Subseries
1.3 includes family papers: correspondence, records, and writings he received and collected. This subseries includes materials
collected by Rorty that relate to, or were created by, members of his immediate and extended family. Included is a large amount
of correspondence between Rorty and family members, but there is also a significant amount of other material created and collected
by members of his family, most notably his father, James Rorty.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged in 3 subseries:
- Subseries 1. Early writings and other materials
- Subseries 2. Correspondence with parents
- Subseries 3. Family papers
Within each subseries, files are arranged alphabetically.
Processing Note
In order to expedite access to the collection, this series were minimally processed. Dates are approximate, folders have wide
and overlapping date ranges, and materials are not arranged in any order within folders. Some undated manuscripts were included
in this series under the assumption they were written before the start of Rorty's professional career.
Subseries 1.1. Early writings and other materials,
Bulk, 1942-1956
1939-1983
Box 1, Folder 1
Academic notes on various subjects,
undated
Box 1, Folder 2
Biology papers and notes,
1946-1948 and undated
Box 1, Folder 3
"The Concept of Potentiality" and other Ph.D. work: notes and drafts,
circa 1953-1956
Box 1, Folder 4-5
"The Concept of Potentiality:" notes and chapter drafts,
circa 1954-1956
Box 1, Folder 6-7
Correspondence from various senders,
Bulk, 1950-1954
1946-1983 and undated
Box 2, Folder 1
Employment applications: correspondence,
1948-1952
Box 2, Folder 2
Graduate study in Paris: application materials and correspondence,
1951
Box 2, Folder 3
Graduate study and fellowships: correspondence, applications, and other materials,
1949-1953 and undated
Box 2, Folder 4
"Is it Desirable That Every Educated Man Acquire Some Historical Knowledge of the Rise of Industrial Civilization?": paper,
undated
Box 2, Folder 5
Mathematics notes, examinations, and other material,
1949-1950
Box 2, Folder 6
Military service: commendations, correspondence, and other materials,
1951-1958
Box 2, Folder 7-9
Minisink Valley News: issues and other materials,
1942-1944
Box 3, Folder 1
Notes and drawings,
1936-1946 and undated
Box 3, Folder 2
Passports and other personal records,
1941-1993
Box 3, Folder 3
Philosophy and Greek (M.A. and Ph.D. study): exams, syllabi, and other materials,
1949-1954 and undated
Box 3, Folder 4
Poems and other creative writings,
undated
Box 3, Folder 5
Primary school: writings and other materials,
1939-1944 and undated
Box 3, Folder 6
Secondary education: yearbook, correspondence, and other materials,
1945-1948
Box 3, Folder 7
"Truth and Its Object in Anselm, Aquinas, and Matthew of Aquasparta:" paper,
undated
Box 3, Folder 8
University of Chicago: correspondence, grade reports, and other materials,
1946-1952 and undated
Subseries 1.2. Correspondence with parents,
1940-1979
Box 3, Folder 9-10
Rorty, James and Winifred (Raushenbush): letters and cards to them,
1943-1979 and undated
Box 4, Folder 1-3
Rorty, James: letters and cards from him,
1940-1962 and undated
Box 4, Folder 4-6
Rorty, Winifred (Raushenbush): letters and cards from her,
1941-1979 and undated
Subseries 1.3. Family papers,
Bulk, 1918-1979
1863-2000
Processing Note
During processing, correspondence in this series was grouped according to the family member to which it pertains as the sender,
recipent, or (occasionally) the subject of the letters. Correspondence between Richard Rorty and any member of his family
was filed under the family member's name.
Box 4, Folder 7
Beard, Eva and Marion Bullard: correspondence and other materials,
1941-1953 and undated
Scope and Content Summary
Includes mainly letters to Richard Rorty from his aunt, Eva Beard, and some of her writings.
Box 5, Folder 1
Bullard, Marion: poems, clippings, and other materials,
1955-1971 and undated
Box 5, Folder 2
Disposition of parents' papers: correspondence,
1981-1982 and undated
Box 5, Folder 3
Lewis, L.R. (Leo Rich): early writings and obituary,
1886,
1945
Biographical Note
L.R. Lewis was a professor at Tufts University, from which James Rorty graduated in 1913.
Box 5, Folder 4
Marriage notices, birth announcements and congratulations: cards and telegrams,
1954-1961 and undated
Box 5, Folder 5
Oksenberg, Klara and Israel: correspondence
1953-1976 and undated
Box 5, Folder 6
Poems and other writings, unsigned,
undated
Box 5, Folder 7
Richardson, Mabel L.: legal correspondence
1971-1974
Box 5, Folder 8
Rorty, Amélie Oksenberg: correspondence and other materials,
1950-1971 and undated
Box 5, Folder 9-10
Rorty, James: correspondence, writings, and other materials,
1913-1962 and undated
Box 5, Folder 11
Rorty, James: letters to L.R. (Leo Rich) Lewis,
1913-1940
Scope and Contents
Includes letters written while serving in the military during World War I.
Box 6, Folder 1
Rorty, James: letters to H.L. Mencken,
1939
Box 6, Folder 2
Rorty, James: World War I correspondence and other materials,
1918-1919
Box 6, Folder 3
Rorty, Jay and Patricia: writings for them by family members, and other materials,
1961-1996 and undated
Box 6, Folder 4
Rorty, Malcolm C.: writings and other materials,
1928-1934 and undated
Historical Background
Malcolm C. Rorty, the brother of James Rorty, was a statistitian and held executive positions at AT&T and ITT.
Box 6, Folder 5
Rorty, Mary Varney: correspondence and other materials,
1974-1977 and undated
Box 6, Folder 6
Rorty and Rauschenbusch families: clippings, correspondence, and other materials,
1863-1985
Historical Background
Winifred Rorty changed the spelling of her maiden name (which she used professionally) from Rauschenbusch to Raushenbush.
Box 6, Folder 7
Rorty, Winifred (Raushenbush): writings, clippings, correspondence, and other materials,
1918-1979
Box 6, Folder 8
Rorty, Winifred (Raushenbush): biography of her and related correspondence,
2000
Series 2. Writings,
1961-2000 and undated
Physical Description:
3.4 Linear feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series primarily includes drafts (manuscripts, typescripts, computer print-outs, and proofs) of writings: scholarly and
magazine articles, book chapters, papers, book reviews, contributions to reference volumes, speeches, and invited talks. Included
are some of Rorty's writings in translation and his prefaces and introductions to volumes of such writings. In some cases
drafts are accompanied by related notes or correspondence. Some proofs include corrections. Also included in this series are
some writings in their final printed form: offprints, clippings, journal issues, newspaper and magazine issues. This series
also includes one audio recording of an invited talk.
Arrangement
This series is arranged in 2 subseries:
- Subseries 2.1. Manuscripts
- Subseries 2.2. Printed material and audio recording
Subseries 2.1. Manuscripts,
1961-2000 and undated
Subseries Arrangement
This subseries is arranged in the following order:
- 1. Articles, book chapters, and other writings: arranged alphabetically by the title of the work.
- 2. Book reviews: arranged alphabetically by the last name of the author reviewed.
- 3. Conference papers and public lectures: arranged alphabetically, primarily by the name of the conference or sponsoring institution.
Processing Information
During processing, manuscripts were generally filed by working title, so different versions of the same finished work may
be filed in separate folders. In general, titled manuscripts were filed under "Articles, book chapters, and other writings."
Untitled conference papers and papers found among other conference materials, along with public speeches and remarks, were
filed under "Conference papers and other public lectures." These were filed according to the relevant conference, event, or
sponsoring institution.
Articles, book chapters, and other writings
Box 7, Folder 1
"An Anti-Representationalist View: Comments on Miller, Van Fraassen, and Churchland:" draft,
1990
Box 7, Folder 2
"Aristotle," article for the
American People's Encyclopedia: drafts and correspondence,
1964
Box 7, Folder 3
"Cartesian Epistemology and Changes in Ontology:" draft,
undated
Box 11, Folder 12
"Changing World-Views and Scholastic Quibbles: An Answer to the Question 'What is Philosophy?:'" typed draft,
circa 1997
Box 7, Folder 4
"Consciousness, Intentionality, and Pragmatism:" draft and correspondence,
1990
Box 7, Folder 5
Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity, preface to the Russian translation: draft and correspondence,
1995
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence and publications related to the Belgrade Circle.
Box 7, Folder 7
"The Contingency of Our Language:" draft,
undated
Box 7, Folder 8
"The Continuity Between the Enlightenment and 'Postmodernism'" and German translation: drafts and notes,
undated
Box 7, Folder 9
"The Current State of Philosophy in the U.S.:" draft,
1994
Box 7, Folder 10
"Davidson's Mental-Physical Distinction:" proof with notes,
circa 1999
Box 7, Folder 11
"Deconstruction," article for the
Cambridge History of Literary Criticism: edited proof and correspondence,
1994
Box 7, Folder 12
"Derrida on Language, Being, and Abnormal Philosophy:" draft and correspondence,
1977
Box 7, Folder 13
"Does Academic Freedom Have Philosophical Presuppositions?" German translation: proof and correspondence,
1994
Box 7, Folder 14
"Duties to Self and Others: Comments on Nehamas:" drafts and other materials,
1995 and undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes "Response to Nehamas," draft, and Alexander Nehamas's paper, "What Should We Expect From Reading? (There are Only
Aesthetic Values)" draft.
Box 7, Folder 15
"Education, Socialization, and Individuation: Replies to Commentators:" draft and correspondence,
1989
Scope and Contents note
"Education, Socialization, and Individuation" is a reprint of "Education Without Dogma."
Box 7, Folder 16
"Empiricism, Extensionalism, and Reductionism:" drafts, notes, and reviewers' copies,
circa 1963
Box 7, Folder 17
"Existential Necessity and Kantian Unconditionality: A Response to Harald Kohl:" draft,
2000
Box 7, Folder 18
"Failed Prophecies, Glorious Hopes:" proof with corrections,
1999
Box 7, Folder 19
"Fraternity:" draft and correspondence,
1996
Box 8, Folder 1
"Freedom as Higher Than Being:" draft,
undated
Box 8, Folder 2
"Half a Million Blue Helmets?" draft, offprint, and correspondence,
1995-1996
Box 8, Folder 3
"Heidegger Against the Pragmatists:" draft,
undated
Box 8, Folder 4
"Heidegger's Litany:" draft
undated
Scope and Contents note
Published as chapter 5 of
Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity.
Box 8, Folder 5
"Hoffnung statt Erkenntnis:" drafts and correspondence,
1994
Scope and Contents note
Consists of three lectures delivered in Vienna and Paris. Later published in English as chapters 2-4 of
Philosophy and Social Hope.
Box 8, Folder 6
"Holism, Intentionality, and the Ambition of Transcendence:" drafts, notes, and reviewers' copies,
circa 1992-1993
Box 8, Folder 7
"How Relevant is 'Postmodern' Philosophy to Politics?" draft,
1998
Box 8, Folder 8
"The Incommunicability of 'Felt Qualities':" drafts,
undated
Box 8, Folder 9
"In Defense of Eliminative Materialism:" draft and correspondence,
1969
Box 8, Folder 10
"The Inspirational Value of Great Works of Literature:" drafts and correspondence,
1996
Box 8, Folder 11
"Intellectual Historians and Pragmatist Philosophy:" corrected draft and correspondence,
2000
Box 8, Folder 12
"The Intellectuals and the Poor:" draft,
1996
Box 8, Folder 13
"Intuition:" drafts and notes,
undated
Box 8, Folder 14
"Is 'Cultural Recognition' a Useful Concept for Leftist Politics?" draft,
1999
Box 8, Folder 15
"Is Derrida a Transcendental Philosopher?" draft,
1989
Box 8, Folder 16
"Justice as a Larger Loyalty" and French translation: drafts, correspondence, and photocopy,
1995-1997
Box 8, Folder 17
"Kant as a Critical Philosopher:" partial draft,
undated
Box 8, Folder 18
"Kripke on Mind-Body Identity:" draft and correspondence,
1973 and undated
Box 8, Folder 19
"Kuhn, Thomas S.," contribution to
A Companion to the Philosophy of Science: draft and correspondence,
1993-1994
Box 9, Folder 1
"The Limits of Reductionism:" drafts,
undated
Box 9, Folder 2
"Locke, Global Historicity and Linguistic Idealism" and German translation: drafts,
undated
Scope and Contents note
Published as chapter 14 of
Truth and Progress.
Box 9, Folder 3
"Matter and Event:" drafts, notes, offprint, and correspondence,
1963,
1976 and undated
Box 9, Folder 4
"Metaphilosophy:" draft,
1974
Box 9, Folder 5
"Mind-Body Identity and Irreducible Properties:" drafts, comments, and correspondence,
1964 and undated
Box 9, Folder 6-7
"Mind-Body Identity, Privacy, and Categories:" drafts and notes,
circa 1965
Box 10, Folder 1
Objectivity, Relativism, and Truth: Philosophical Papers I, French translation: draft, correspondence, and contracts,
1994
Box 10, Folder 2
"The Overphilosophication of Politics:" proof and correspondence,
1999
Box 10, Folder 3
Pale Fire, Introduction: proof and research materials,
1991
Box 10, Folder 4
"The Paradox of Definitism:" drafts and notes,
undated
Box 10, Folder 5
"The Philosopher as Expert:" drafts and correspondence,
1963 and undated
Box 10, Folder 6
Philosophy and Social Hope, Part 2: drafts, proofs, and other materials,
1994
Scope and Contents note
Includes "Truth Without Correspondence to Reality," "A World Without Substances or Essences," and "Ethics Without Principles."
Box 10, Folder 7
"Philosophy and the Dangers of the Twenty-First Century:" draft and correspondence,
1994
Box 10, Folder 8
"Philosophy and the Future:" draft and correspondence,
2000
Scope and Contents note
This essay serves as the introduction to the collection of German translations,
Philosophie und die Zukunft.
Box 10, Folder 9
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature: notes and partial draft,
undated
Box 10, Folder 10
"Pragmatism," contribution to the
International Journal of Psychoanalysis,
2000
Box 10, Folder 11
"Pragmatism," contribution to the
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: draft, correspondence, and agreements,
1993-1995 and undated
Box 10, Folder 12
"Pragmatism and Religion:" draft,
circa 1996
Scope and Contents note
This was the first lecture given as visiting faculty at the University of Girona, Spain.
Box 11, Folder 1
"Pragmatism, Categories, and Language:" drafts,
undated
Box 11, Folder 2
"Pragmatism, Davidson, and Truth," section I: drafts and correspondence,
1985
Scope and Contents note
Published as chapter 5 of Objectivity,
Relativism, and Truth.
Box 11, Folder 3
"Pragmatism, Pluralism and Postmodernism:" draft,
1998
Box 11, Folder 4
"Pragmatism Without Method:" draft,
undated
Box 11, Folder 5
"Pragmatisme, Moralité, et Imagination:" draft and notes,
undated
Box 11, Folder 6
"A Pragmatist View of Contemporary Analytic Philosophy:" draft,
1999
Box 11, Folder 7
"Putnam on Truth:" draft,
1989
Box 11, Folder 8
"Rational Beauty, Non-discursive Sublimity, and the Community of Philosophers:" drafts,
1988 and undated
Box 11, Folder 9
"Realism, Categories, and the 'Linguistic Turn':" drafts, correspondence, and notes,
1961-1962 and undated
Box 11, Folder 10
"Realism, Anti-Realism, and Pragmatism: Comments on Alston, Chisholm, Davidson, Harman, and Searle:" draft,
1991
Box 11, Folder 11
"Recent Metaphilosophy:" draft and notes,
1961
Box 11, Folder 12
"Redemption from Egotism:" James and Proust as Spiritual Exercise:" draft,
2000
Box 12, Folder 1
"Reductionism" and related writings: drafts and notes,
undated
Box 12, Folder 2
"Relations, Internal and External:" draft and correspondence,
1965
Box 12, Folder 3
"Religious Faith, Intellectual Responsibility, and Romance" and French translation: draft and proof,
undated
Box 12, Folder 4
"A Reply to Six Critics:" proof,
circa 1984
Box 12, Folder 5
"Solidarity or Objectivity:" draft,
undated
Box 12, Folder 6
"The Subjectivist Principle and the Linguistic Turn:" notes,
undated
Box 12, Folder 7
"Texts and Lumps:" draft,
undated
Box 12, Folder 8
"Trapped Between Kant and Dewey: The Current Situation of Moral Philosophy:" draft,
2000
Box 12, Folder 9
"Universality and Truth:" draft with notes,
1993
Box 12, Folder 10
"Verification and Transcendental Arguments" and "Criteria and Necessity," German translations: drafts
1976-1977
Box 12, Folder 11
"What is Dead in Plato:" draft,
undated
Box 12, Folder 12
Aron, Raymond.
Introduction to the Philosophy of History, review: draft,
circa 1961
Box 12, Folder 13
Bernstein, Richard.
The New Constellation, review: draft and correspondence,
1994
Box 12, Folder 14
Blanchard, Brand.
Reason and Analysis, review: draft,
1963
Box 12, Folder 15
Bloom, Harold.
The Anxiety of Influence: A Theory of Poetry, review: draft with notes,
1973
Box 12, Folder 16
Blumberg, Hans.
The Legitimacy of the Modern Age, review: draft with notes,
circa 1983
Box 12, Folder 17
Boler, John F.
Charles Peirce and Scholastic Realism, review: draft and correspondence,
1963
Box 12, Folder 18
Corman, James W.
Metaphysics, Reference, and Language, review: drafts,
1967
Box 12, Folder 19
Feyeraband, Paul.
Killing Time (autobiography), review: draft,
1995
Box 12, Folder 20
Goodman, Paul.
Utopian Essays and Practical Proposals, review: draft,
circa 1963
Box 13, Folder 1
Grene, Marjorie.
A Portrait of Aristotle, review: notes,
undated
Box 13, Folder 2
Jencks, Christopher and David Reisman.
The Academic Revolution, review: draft,
undated
Box 13, Folder 3
Lamont, W.D.
The Value Judgement, review: draft,
undated
Box 13, Folder 4
Levi, Albert William.
Philosophy as Social Expression, critical review: report and correspondence,
1971
Box 13, Folder 5
Lewis, H.D. (ed.)
Clarity is Not Enough, review: draft, offprint, and correspondence,
1963-1964
Box 13, Folder 6
Moore, Edward C.
American Pragmatism, review: draft,
1962
Box 13, Folder 7
Rosen, Stanley.
Nihilism, review: proof
undated
Box 13, Folder 8
Schacht, Richard.
Nietzsche; and Gilles Deleuze.
Nietzsche and Philosophy, review essay: draft and correspondence,
1983
Conference papers and public lectures
Box 13, Folder 9
American Philosophical Association conference (San Francisco), session on Robert Brandom: paper,
1995
Box 13, Folder 10
American Philosophical Associaton, Eastern Division, conference: paper and other materials,
1965
Scope and Contents note
Includes comments on Keith Gunderson's "Cybernetics and Mind-Body Problems" and Gunderson's paper.
Box 13, Folder 11
American Philosophical Association, Western Division, conference (Seattle): paper
1996
Scope and Contents note
The paper comments on Marjorie Grene's
A Philosophical Testament.
Box 13, Folder 12
American Philosophical Association conference: paper
1980
Scope and Contents note
Paper is a reply to scholars Ian Hacking and Jaegwon Kim.
Box 13, Folder 25
Clark Lectures and Northcliffe Lectures: notes
circa 1986
Box 13, Folder 13
Cognitive Psychology and the New Epistemology symposium (Loyola University): paper drafts, correspondence, and program,
1981-1982
Scope and Contents note
The paper replies to Alvin Goldman's and Jerry Fodor's papers, which are included.
Box 13, Folder 14
Comments on papers by other scholars: drafts,
undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes papers commenting on work by Ammerman, Armstrong, Gunderson, Hartshorne, Held, MacIntyre, Marcovic, and Ricoeur.
Box 13, Folder 15
Globalization and Cultural Identity conference: draft of remarks,
undated
Box 13, Folder 16
Husserl symposium (Vienna): radio program transcript,
1985
Language of Materials note: The transcript is in German.
Box 13, Folder 17
International Center for Semiotic and Cognitive Studies workshop (University of San Marino, 1993): notes and other materials,
1990-1993 and undated
Box 13, Folder 18
Labor Teach-in (Columbia University): speech and other materials,
1996
Box 13, Folder 19
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) symposium, 2000 Things in the Making: Contemporary Architecture and the Pragmatist Imagination:
remarks,
2000
Box 13, Folder 20
Philosophy's Relation to the Humanities conference: paper outline,
1998
Box 13, Folder 21
The Tradition of Western Philosophy and Pragmatism seminar (Otani University): introductory remarks,
1999
Box 13, Folder 22
William Alanson White Institute: panel remarks,
1995
Box 13, Folder 23
"Wittgenstein and Heidegger," lecture (Frankfurt): notes,
undated
Box 13, Folder 24
World Congress of Philosophy (Moscow): paper and other materials,
1993
Scope and Contents note
Paper is titled "Philosophy and the Future."
Subseries 2.2. Printed material and audio recording,
1963-2000 and undated
Subseries Arrangement
This subseries is arranged with printed material first, in chronological order, followed by the audio recording.
Box 14, Folder 1-6
Printed material,
1963-1999
Box 15, Folder 1-2
Printed material,
2000 and undated
"Cultural Politics and the Question of the Existence of God": audio recording ,
2002 July 17
Scope and Content Summary
Recording of lecture at Calvin College.
Box DM 002, Item MS-C017-CD-001-U
Use copy,
2002
Physical Description
Compact disk.
Box DM 001, Item MS-C017-CD-001-A
Archival preservation compact disk,
2002
Physical description
Archival gold compact disk.
Access
Access to the preservation copy of the compact disk is restricted.
Box 61
Archival original cassette,
2002
Physical description
Audio cassette tape.
Access
Access to the original audio cassette is restricted. For access, users may request use copy.
Series 3. Correspondence,
Bulk, 1961-1995
1955-2001
Physical Description:
10.8 Linear feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
Correspondence includes letters and cards received and duplicates of letters sent. Other received materials include manuscripts
and offprints signed by the author. The bulk of the correspondence is from scholars and colleagues, but also includes letters
from publishers and other institutional correspondents. Among the hundreds of philosophers and other scholars represented
are Barry Allen, Annette Baier, Richard Bernstein, Robert Brandom, Hubert Dreyfus, Milton Fisk, Raymond Geuss, Katherine Kearns,
Bruce Kuklick, Juergen Habermas, Ian Hacking, Maurice Mandelbaum, Gerald J. Massey, Alexander Nehamas, Jacques Poulain, J.B.
Schneewind, Quentin Skinner, and Gregory Vlastos. Also represented are public figures such as judge and legal scholar Richard
Posner and U.S. Senator Bill Bradley.
Series Arrangement
Correspondence is first filed alphabetically, then chronologically within that alphabetical arrangement.
Processing Information
When they arrived in the Department of Special Collections and Archives, Rorty's papers contained a large amount of unfiled
correspondence, as well as correspondence filed only by year or year range, scattered throughout the collection. In keeping
with the order in which Rorty kept a significant portion of his filed correspondence, the bulk of this unfiled material was
filed during processing either by 1.) the first letter of the last name of the sender/recipient, manuscript author, or subject
of the letter; or 2.) by the organization, institution, publisher, or publication title with which the correspondent was affiliated;
or 3.) by topic. Secondary to this alphabetical structure, correspondence is filed roughly chronologically. Following is a
more detailed explanation of the two aspects of this filing system:
Alphabetical filing
In cases when letters were filed under the name of a university or a university press, these were filed under the name of
the specific university (not under "U"), and in some cases the specific campus. In a few cases, Rorty kept individual folders
for particular correspondents or subjects, and this practice was maintained during processing, with these folders filed after
the single-letter labeled folders. However, he also filed letters for these named correspondents in the first-letter files,
so researchers should not assume all letters to or from these individually-name correspondents are in their named file. For
the unfiled letters that did not provide the last name of the correspondent, a minimal attempt was made to identify them and
file under the last name. When this failed, the letter was filed by the first name. (Researchers who are able to identify
these correspondents or who find misfiled correspondence should bring this to the attention of Special Collections and Archives
staff).
Chronological filing
Within their alphabetical groupings, correspondence is grouped by year or range of years. These dates are approximate, however;
particularly in cases where correspondence on the same subject was exchanged over a period of time and Rorty kept these letters
together, these letters filed together in an attempt to maintain context wherever possible. Dates of folders overlap due to
the method of organizing unfiled correspondence and integrating it into filed correspondence. Undated correspondence is filed
at the end of the range for that letter of the alphabet. Within folders, letters are not arranged in any order.
Box 19, Folder 1
Baier, Annette,
1980-1990 and undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes manuscripts, offprints, and other materials
Box 19, Folder 2
Bradley, Bill (U.S. Senator),
1987-1995
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence, includes texts of some of Bradley's speeches, newsletters, and other materials.
Box 21, Folder 1
Cambridge University Press and other publishers,
1968-1994
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence, includes contracts and other materials.
Box 21, Folder 2
Chicago (University of) Press,
1964-1969
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence, includes contracts and reviews of
The Linguistic Turn.
Mixed materials 22, Folder 10
Derrida, Jacques,
1978, 1982 and 1983
Language of Collection Materials: Materials are in
French.
Reproduction Restriction
All reproduction of materials written by Jacques Derrida must be authorized by designates of his heirs. Contact Special Collections
and Archives for more information.
Scope and Content Summary
Folder consists of three letters addressed to Rorty from Jacques Derrida.
Box 22, Folder 2
Dreyfus, Hubert,
1979-1985
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence includes manuscripts and comments.
Box 23, Folder 7-8
Fisk, Milton,
1965-1989
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence, includes manuscripts and fellowship application.
Box 27, Folder 4
Habermas, Juergen,
1970-1995
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence, includes writings by Habermas (drafts and print)
Box 30, Folder 6
Linguistic Turn: letters to authors concerning permission to republish essays,
1965-1966
Box 33, Folder 7
Nehamas, Alexander,
after 1990
Scope and Contents note
Includes drafts, offprints, and note.
Box 35, Folder 3
Princeton University Press,
1977-1981
Box 35, Folder 4
Publishing royalties,
1991-1995
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence, includes royalties statements.
Box 38, Folder 6
Shoemaker, Sydney,
undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes drafts with notes.
Box 38, Folder 7-8
Speaking engagements,
1970-1973
Box 39, Folder 1-6
Speaking engagements,
1973-1981
Box 40, Folder 5
Translations of writings,
1985-1996
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence concerning translations of Rorty's writings, includes contracts.
Box 40, Folder 10
Vajda, Mihály,
1993-1994
Scope and Contents note
In addition to correspondence, includes manuscripts.
Box 40, Folder 11
Virgina, University of, and Princeton University,
1981-1987
Box 42, Folder 3
Unidentified senders,
1968-1991 and undated
Processing Note
The signatures on these letters are absent or illegible.
Series 4. Notes and research materials,
1962-1999 and undated
Physical Description:
1.6 Linear feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes primarily typed or handwritten notes on various topics. Many of these notes may have been written for
teaching; however, they were not found in files that would indicate for which course or seminar. Other notes may have been
made in preparation for writing. Also included are some writings by Rorty's contemporaries that comment on his work. There
is a small amount of printed material on various topics, mostly photocopies of journal articles and book chapters, that contains
Rorty's marginalia.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged in 2 subseries:
- Subseries 4.1. Notes, topical
- Subseries 4.2. Writings by contemporaries and other research materials
Appraisal Note
A very small amount (approximately .2 linear feet) of research material was discarded. This included photocopies of articles
with no annotations or marginalia and offprints of articles that were not inscribed by their authors.
Processing Information
Notes were sorted by topic and filed in this series if there was no indication to which course, seminar, or writing they pertained.
Subseries 4.1. Notes, topical,
1962-1999
Subseries Arrangement
This subseries is arranged alphabetically by the topic of the notes.
Box 42, Folder 4
Adler, Mortimer, J.: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 5
Analytical philosophy: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 6
Aristotle: notes and articles,
undated
Box 42, Folder 7
Arnold, Matthew: article,
1988
Box 42, Folder 8
Ayer, James, and Royce: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 9
Bibliographic research: printouts and photocopies,
1993 and undated
Box 42, Folder 10
Bloom, Harold: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 11
Brandom, Robert: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 13
Culler, Jonathan: notes and article,
1983 and undated
Box 42, Folder 14
Davidson, Donald and Paul de Man: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 15
Derrida, Jacques: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 16
Dewey and Peirce: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 17
Dreyfus, Hubert: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 18
"The End of Philosophy and the Task of Thinking:" lecture notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 19
Epistemology: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 20
Ethnocentrism: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 22
Fish, Stanley: notes,
undated
Box 42, Folder 23
Føllesdal: notes,
undated
Box 43, Folder 1
Grunbaum, Freud, and others: notes
undated
Box 43, Folder 2
Heidegger, Martin: articles with notations,
1979-1988 and undated
Box 43, Folder 5
Heidegger, Gadamer, and Derrida: notes,
undated
Box 43, Folder 6
Heidegger, Husserl, and Sartre: notes,
undated
Box 43, Folder 7
Heidegger: lecture notes by Hubert Dreyfus
undated
Box 43, Folder 8
Heideggerian terms: glossaries
undated
Box 43, Folder 10
Historicism: notes,
undated
Box 43, Folder 11
Hume: notes and annotated book chapter,
undated
Box 43, Folder 12
Ideas for papers: typescripts,
undated
Box 43, Folder 14
Kant and Descartes: notes,
undated
Box 43, Folder 15
Kuhn, Feyerabend, Davidson, Habermas, Foucault, Gadamer, and Heidegger: notes
undated
Box 43, Folder 16
Leibniz: notes on lectures by Hampshire
undated
Box 43, Folder 17
Kant and Hegel: notes,
undated
Box 43, Folder 18
Kierkegaard: notes
undated
Box 44, Folder 4
Morality, moral relativism, and ethical relativism: notes and article,
1999 and undated
Box 44, Folder 5
Nabokov, Vladimir: photocopies,
1962
Box 44, Folder 6
Nietzsche: notes,
undated
Box 44, Folder 7
"Omniscience and Freedom:" lecture notes
undated
Box 44, Folder 8
Peirce, Benjamin: notes,
undated
Box 44, Folder 9
Phenomenology and existentialism: notes and bibliography,
undated
Box 44, Folder 10
"Philosophy Among the Humanities:" brief note,
undated
Box 44, Folder 11
Plato: notes and articles,
1982-1986 and undated
Box 44, Folder 12
"Popular Lectures:" notes (from folder so labeled),
undated
Box 44, Folder 13
Public intellectuals: notes,
undated
Box 44, Folder 17
"Time and the World Order:" notes,
undated
Box 44, Folder 18-19
Various topics: lecture notes,
undated
Box 45, Folder 1-3
Various topics: notes and note cards,
undated
Subseries 4.2. Writings by contemporaries and other research materials,
1974-1993
Subseries Arrangement
This subseries is arranged alphabetically.
Box 45, Folder 5
Articles and papers responding to Rorty's work: drafts,
1982-1992 and undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes manuscripts by Nehamas, Rumana, and other scholars.
Box 45, Folder 6
Articles and papers responding to Rorty's work: drafts,
1980 and undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes manuscripts by Fancher, Laclau, Leist, Levi, MacIntyre, and McCarthy.
Box 46, Folder 1
Articles and papers responding to Rorty's work: drafts and photocopies,
1980 and undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes manuscripts and published work by Bernstein, Brunkhorst, Chappell, Derrida, and Donovan.
Box 46, Folder 2
Articles and papers responding to Rorty's work: drafts, print-outs and correspondence,
1982-1993 and undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes manuscripts and published work by Melvil, Peden, Pettit, Posner, and unidentified writer.
Box 46, Folder 3
Articles responding to Rorty's work: offprints, photocopies, and journal issues,
1982-1995 and undated
Box 46, Folder 4
Brandom, Robert: book review draft and several articles (print),
1976-1988 and undated
Box 46, Folder 5
"Contemporary Philosophy of Mind:" photocopy with notes
1982
Scope and Contents note
Highly annotated copy of Rorty's own article.
Box 46, Folder 6
Field, Hartry offprints and photocopies,
1974,
1978
Box 46, Folder 7
Graff, Gerald: articles (photocopies),
1980-1986 and undated
Box 46, Folder 8
Kripke, Saul. "Identity and Necessity:" offprint,
undated
Box 46, Folder 9
La Modernité en Question chez J. Habermas et R. Rorty conference (Centre Culturel International de Cerisy, Paris): conference
programs, paper abstracts, and other materials,
1993
Language of Materials note: The materials are in French.
Scope and Content Summary
"Universalism and Pragmatism," the paper which is listed as Rorty's contribution to this conference, was not found during
processing and is not included here. Included are abstracts of papers by Juergen Habermas and Alan Montifiore. The latter
has a very small amount of notes by Rorty.
Box 46, Folder 10
"Putnam and the Relativist Menace" and response: offprint and draft,
1992-1993
Scope and Contents note
Includes offprint of Rorty's article and draft of response from unidentified critic.
Series 5. Teaching files,
1958-2002
Physical Description:
3.6 Linear feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes syllabi, lecture notes, exams, student evaluations of teaching, background research materials, lists
of books ordered, correspondence, student files, and other materials related to courses taught by Rorty at Wellesley College,
Princeton University, the University of Virginia, and institutions where he was on the visiting faculty.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged in 2 subseries:
- Subseries 5.1. Course materials
- Subseries 5.2. Student files
Subseries 5.1. Course materials,
1958-2001
Subseries Arrangement
This subseries is arranged alphabetically, primarily by the title of the course.
Box 46, Folder 11
Comparative Literature courses, Stanford University: syllabus and exam,
2001
Box 46, Folder 12
Crisis and the Imagination (European Cultural Studies 320), Princeton University: notes, course evaluations, syllabi, and
other materials,
1975-1976
Box 47, Folder 1
Deconstruction (Studies in Criticism and Theory 863), University of Virginia: notes, reading list, and other materials,
1988
Box 47, Folder 2-5
Early Modern Philosophy (Philosophy 332), Princeton University: syllabi, notes, assignments, and other materials,
1979-1981
Box 47, Folder 6
Epistemology (Philosophy 313): lecture notes,
undated
Box 47, Folder 7
Freud and Philosophy (Humanistic Studies 954),: syllabus, correspondence, and other materials,
1984
Box 47, Folder 8
Hegel, Nietzsche, and Existentialism (Philosophy 306), Princeton University: syllabus and notes,
1964
Box 47, Folder 9
Hegel to Derrida (Philosophy 318/518), University of Virginia: notes, exams, and reading list,
1987
Box 47, Folder 10
Heidegger courses, University of Virginia: syllabi and notes,
1985,
1989
Box 48, Folder 1
Hirsch, E.D.: lecture notes for his course,
1985-1992
Box 48, Folder 2
Holism, Positivism and Hermeneutics, seminar at Johns Hopkins University: lecture notes,
1985
Box 48, Folder 3-4
Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy (Philosophy 203), Princeton University: notes, reading lists, course evaluations,
and other materials,
1967-1968
Box 48, Folder 5
Introduction to Contemporary Metaphysics (Philosophy 203), Princeton University,
circa 1976-1979
Box 48, Folder 6
Johann Wolfgang Geothe University (Frankfurt, Germany): course catalog and seminar descriptions,
circa 1977
Language of Materials note: Materials are in German.
Box 48, Folder 7
Kant (Philosophy 304), Princeton University: notes, syllabi, course evaluations, and other materials,
1970-1979
Box 49, Folder 1-3
Meaning of a Text (Philosophy 806): notes and research materials,
1974-1989 and undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes manuscripts and published writings by Donald Davidson.
Box 49, Folder 4
The Mind-Body Problem seminar: syllabus and notes,
undated
Box 49, Folder 5
Naturalization of Semantics seminar: notes,
1989
Box 49, Folder 6
The Nature of the University (Humanistic Studies 205): syllabi, exams, manuscripts, and other materials,
1972-1973
Scope and Contents note
Includes manuscript by Milton Fisk.
Box 49, Folder 7
Nietzsche-Heidegger seminar: notes,
undated
Box 49, Folder 8
Phenomenology and Existentialsm: Continental and Analytical Perspectives on Intentionality (Berkeley Summer Institute): syllabus,
lecture notes, correspondence, and other materials,
1980
Box 50, Folder 1
Philosophy 101, Wellesley College: notes, syllabi, and exams,
1958
Box 50, Folder 2
Philosophy 105C, Wellesley College: assignments, exams, and notes,
1960
Box 50, Folder 3
Philosophy 214, Wellesley College: notes, syllabi, exams, and other materials,
1960
Box 50, Folder 4
Philosophy 261: notes, undated
Box 50, Folder 5
Philosophy 305, Princeton University: reading lists,
1964
Box 50, Folder 6
Philosophy 309, Princeton University: notes and reading lists,
1963
Box 50, Folder 7
Philosophy 364: notes,
undated
Box 50, Folder 8
The Philosophy of Aristotle (Philosophy 501), Princeton University: syllabi and notes,
1961-1963
Box 50, Folder 9, Box 51, Folder 1-2
Philosophy from Kant to 1900 (Philosophy 333), Princeton University: notes, course evaluations, handouts, and other materials,
1979-1982 and undated
Box 51, Folder 3-5
Philosophy of Mind (Philosophy 315), Princeton University: lecture notes, course evaluations, and reading lists,
1969-1972
Box 51, Folder 6
Philosophy of Mind (Philosophy 322), Wellesley College: syllabus,
1958
Box 51, Folder 7
Plato, Philosophy of Religion, and other topics (various courses): notes, exams, and other materials,
undated and 1961
Box 52, Folder 1
Putnam and Davidson (Philosophy 805), University of Virginia: course reader,
1994
Box 52, Folder 2
Rationality and Relativism: syllabus and notes,
undated
Box 52, Folder 3-4
Recent Philosophical Systems (Philosophy 203), Princeton University: notes, syllabus, course evaluations, and other materials,
1962 and undated
Box 52, Folder 5
Rise and Decline of the American Left seminar: correspondence, research and other materials,
1996
Box 52, Folder 6
Sellars, Wilfrid (courses on), Princeton University: reading lists, notes, and other materials,
1967-1976 and undated
Box 52, Folder 7
Subject-Object seminar: notes,
undated
Box 52, Folder 8
The Sublime and the Beautiful (Studies in Criticism and Theory 982), University of Virginia: course reader,
1998
Box 53, Folder 1
Syllabi and course reader (various courses),
1961-1994 and undated
Box 53, Folder 2
Theories of Interpretation (Studies in Criticism and Theory): syllabus, lectures notes, readings, and research material,
1985-1988
Box 59-60
Subseries 5.2. Student files,
1958-2002
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries includes letters to and from students, papers, exams, comments on papers and exams (with grades), grade rosters,
and other materials related to the graduate and undergraduate students in Rorty's courses.
Access
The materials in this subseries are covered under FERPA and are not available for research. Restrictions on these records
will begin to be lifted in 2033.
Series 6. Professional activities,
1965-1999
Physical Description:
1.4 Linear feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes materials related to Rorty's professional service activities in professional societies, academic departments,
and other organizations. Many materials relate to Rorty's activities in the American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division,
including his term as president in 1979. Also included are materials related to fellowships and grants Rorty sought and received.
Materials include correspondence, committee meeting minutes and notes, applications (sent and received), and reports.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Box 53, Folder 3
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) fellowship application,
1968-1969
Box 53, Folder 4
American Philosophical Association: bulletins,
1971-1973
Box 53, Folder 5
American Philosophical Association: correspondence, meeting minutes, agendas, and other materials,
1979-1981
Box 53, Folder 6
American Philosophical Association: correspondence and other materials,
1980
Box 53, Folder 7
American Philosophical Association: correspondence, agendas, meeting minutes,
1979-1980
Box 53, Folder 8
American Philosophical Association: correspondence with Maurice Mandelbaum and others,
1970-1974
Box 54, Folder 1-2
American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division nominating committee: correspondence, bylaws, reports and other materials,
1980
Box 54, Folder 3
Calendars and appointment books,
1985-1999
Box 54, Folder 4
Carnegie Summer Institute in Philosophy (University of Notre Dame): correspondence and other materials,
1968
Box 54, Folder 5-6
Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences: list of fellows, correspondence, and related materials,
1981-1982
Box 54, Folder 7-8
Chinese and Japanese scholars: notes, correspondence, and other materials,
1982-1987 and undated
Box 54, Folder 9
Dartmouth College School of Criticism and Theory: participants' statements of purpose and photographs,
1992
Box 54, Folder 10
Guggenheim (John Simon) Memorial Foundation: application, correspondence, and other materials,
1969-1975
Box 55, Folder 1
Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik: correspondence and other materials,
1980-1981
Box 55, Folder 2
John Dewey Foundation: correspondence, meeting minutes, financial records,
1978-1996 and undated
Box 55, Folder 3
Library of America: correspondence and publications,
1992-1993
Box 55, Folder 4
MacArthur Foundation: press release, fellowship recipient list, and clippings,
1981
Box 55, Folder 5
McCosh Faculty Fellowship application,
1968
Box 55, Folder 6
Metaphysical Society of America: meeting program committee correspondence and proposed program,
1972
Box 55, Folder 7
Modern Studies and Literature (M.A. program), University of Virginia: correspondence, reading list and other materials,
1994
Box 55, Folder 8
Monist board: conference letters, response sheets, and other materials,
1969
Box 55, Folder 9
Nanzan University (Japan) workshop/lecture program on American culture: correspondence and related materials,
1983
Box 55, Folder 10-12
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): correspondence, financial statements, proposed course materials, and other materials,
1978-1979
Box 55, Folder 13
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): fellowship applications, draft proposals, and other materials,
1965-1967 and undated
Box 55, Folder 14
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): fellowship application,
1991
Box 56, Folder 1-3
New School for Social Research, Enabling Committee for Hirings: correspondence, CVs, and other materials,
1981-1982
Box 56, Folder 4
Peirce (Charles S.) historic site: correspondence, exhibit design notes, scholarly papers and other materials,
1974-1978
Box 56, Folder 5
Philosophy (Department of), Princeton University: correspondence,
1967-1980
Box 56, Folder 6
Philosophy (Department of), University of Virginia: course descriptions and other materials,
1986-1988
Box 56, Folder 7
Princeton University academic programs: reports and other materials,
1974-1978
Box 56, Folder 8
Research project proposals received,
1981-1991 and undated
Box 56, Folder 9
Theory Seminar, University of Virginia: planning committee correspondence and other materials,
1995
Series 7. Biographical material,
1964-2003
Physical Description:
0.9 Linear feet
Language of Materials: Book reviews and articles about Rorty are in many languages in addition to English.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged in 2 subseries:
- Subseries 7.1. Book Reviews
- Subseries 7.2. Interviews, profiles, ephemera, and other material
Within each subseries, materials are arranged alphabetically.
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes reviews, in the form of clippings and other printed material, of Rorty's books. Also included are articles
about Rorty, in printed form, such as profiles and interviews. Ephemera such as posters and programs for conferences, lectures,
and other events are also in this series, as are a few photographs.
Subseries 7.1. Book reviews,
1968-1994
Box 57, Folder 1
Collections in translation, reviews: clippings and photocopies,
1991-1994
Box 57, Folder 2
Consequences of Pragmatism, reviews: clippings, photocopies, typescript,
1983-1989
Box 57, Folder 3
Consequences of Pragmatism and
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, review essays: print and photocopy,
1983-1984
Box 57, Folder 4
Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity, reviews: photocopies,
1991-1992
Box 57, Folder 5
"Freud and Moral Reflection" in
Pragmatism's Freud (eds. Smith and Kerrigan), review: photocopy,
1986
Box 57, Folder 6
Philosophical Papers, volumes I and II, reviews: clippings and photocopies,
1991 and undated
Box 57, Folder 7-9
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, reviews: clippings, photocopies, offprints, and typescripts,
1981-1984
Box 58, Folder 1
Linguistic Turn, reviews: clippings and photocopies,
1968-1972
Box 58, Folder 2
Philosophy in History, reviews: clippings and photocopies,
1985-1986
Subseries 7.2. Interviews, profiles, ephemera, and other material,
1964-2003
Box 58, Folder 3
Conference and lecture programs,
1967-1995
Box FB 070, Folder 4
Conference posters,
1980-1996
Box 58, Folder 4
Curricula vitae and bibliography,
circa 1964-2003
Box 58, Folder 5
Honors bestowed: event programs,
1992,
1997
Box 58, Folder 6-7
Interviews, profiles, and other articles: print and photocopies,
1981-1997 and undated
Series 8. Born digital files,
1988-2003
Physical Description:
0.2 Linear feet
(1 box and 1027 digital files)
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series comprises Richard Rorty's electronic word-processing files. Included are letters, many drafts of writings, lecture
notes, syllabi, and exams. Also included are bibliographies of his work, a few administrative files, and a couple of documents
relating to his children. This series also contains drafts of writings done by his peers and colleagues. Researchers will
notice some data loss and corruption has occurred in some of the earliest files.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged in 8 subseries:
- Subseries 8.1. Born digital administrative and professional files
- Subseries 8.2. Bord digital biographical files
- Subseries 8.3. Born digital correspondence
- Subseries 8.4. Born digital family files
- Subseries 8.5. Born digital research files
- Subseries 8.6. Born digital teaching files
- Subseries 8.7. Born digital writings
- Subseries 8.8. Floppy disks
Processing information
Digital files were retrieved from Richard Rorty's 3.5 inch floppy disks during processing and converted to pdf format in order
to facilitate preservation and access.
Other Finding Aid
Subseries 8.1. Born digital administrative and professional files,
1989-1999
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries includes a few files Rorty maintained for keeping track of his publications and royalties, books in his personal
library, things to do, and other topics.
Other Finding Aid
These born digital administrative and professional files can be searched and accessed through
UCIspace @ the Libraries .
Subseries 8.2. Born digital biographical files,
1992-2001
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries includes primarily bibliographies of: Rorty's writings, reviews of his books, and articles about him.
Other Finding Aid
Subseries 8.3. Born digital correspondence,
1992-2000
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries consists of outgoing correspondence, predominantly letters that were faxed or sent by postal mail. (No emails
are included in this collection). Included are letters sent to colleagues, editors, and other professional correspondents.
Other Finding Aid
Subseries 8.4. Born digital family files,
1998-2001
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries includes two files relating to the education of his children Kevin and Patricia.
Other Finding Aid
Subseries 8.5. Born digital research files,
1992-2002
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries includes mainly drafts of writings authored by other scholars.
Other Finding Aid
Subseries 8.6. Born digital teaching files,
1988-2002
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries comprises course materials created by Rorty for courses and seminars he taught at the University of Virginia
and Stanford University. Included are primarily drafts of syllabi and reading lists, lecture and seminar notes, exams, and
assignments.
Other Finding Aid
Subseries 8.7. Born digital writings,
1988-2003
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries is comprised of drafts of Rorty's writings. Included are: essays and articles for scholarly journals and magazines;
book chapters; book reviews; conference papers; lectures, speeches and remarks. Some files contain related correspondence.
Notes taken in preparation for writing are also included in this series.
Included are drafts of chapters in
Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America (1998), which are adaptations of the William E. Massey, Sr., Lectures in the History of American Civilization at Harvard
University (1997). Also included are drafts of lectures given as visiting professor at various universities, such as those
delivered at the University of Girona, Catalonia, Spain (1996) under the overall title, "Anti-Authoritarianism in Epistemology
and Ethics;" and the Spinoza lectures, delivered at the University of Amsterdam (1997). Many of these lectures as visiting
professor were eventually published as well.
Drafts of a few of the papers that were eventually published in
Philosophy as Cultural Politics: Philosophical Papers IV (2007) are included, as are many drafts of writings that were published as chapters in anthologies. Among these are responses
to interlocutors in
Rorty and His Critics (ed. Robert C. Brandom, 2000).
Included also are drafts of papers delivered at conferences and symposia in Philosophy and other disciplines, as well as invited
talks, lectures and speeches delivered at universities and other institutions around the world. There are drafts of many articles
that were published in magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. A few translated writings are included, as well as drafts
of prefaces and introductions to volumes of writings in translation.
Other Finding Aid
Box 61
Subseries 8.8. Computer disks,
1988-2003
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
Floppy disks containing word processing files.
Access
Floppy disks are not for user access. The word processing files on these disks have been made available to researchers in
UCIspace @ the Libraries . Exceptions to this access include the restricted student files (which were printed out and placed in Series 4. Teaching
files, Subseries 4.2, Student files) and some files not created by Rorty.
Physical Description
3.5 inch computer floppy disks.
