Born in New York in 1931, he has taught at the Universities of Wellesley, Princeton and Virginia and is currently professor of Comparative Literature at Stanford University. His work covered all aspects of philosophy, but perhaps his main contribution has been to renew pragmatism and open a fruitful dialogue between European philosophy and the United States. Rorty's books have become true classics of contemporary thought. He is the author of Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (1979), Consequences of Pragmatism (1982), Irony, Contingency and Solidarity (1989), Philosophical Essays (3 vols., 1991-1998), Forging our nation (1998) and philosophy and social hope (2000). This Editorial published Caring freedom. Interviews about politics and philosophy (2005).