Richard Rorty, professor of Comparative Literature emeritus at Stanford, who just died, got a medal in April saying his work
redefined knowledge ‘as a matter of conversation and of social practice, rather than as an attempt to mirror nature’ and thus redefined philosophy itself as an unending, democratically disciplined, social and cultural activity of inquiry, reflection, and exchange, rather than an activity governed and validated by the concept of objective, extramental truth. [Italics added]
I would rather it said he
* portrayed the pursuit of knowledge as conversation and social practice trying to mirror nature and
* thus further defined philosophy as an unending, democratically disciplined, social and cultural activity of inquiry, reflection, and exchange — an activity governed and validated by the concept of objective, extramental truth.
But I don’t give awards now, do I?
Blithe Spirit 
Maybe he’s not really dead; some of us just think he is. Because there’s no objective truth, we should have a vote to decide the issue.
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The medal should have said that he “redefined knowledge and philosophy itself out of existence.”
And for lack of an objective good, what’s the value in democracy?
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