An Evangelical Theological Examination of Richard Rorty's Thought on Anti-Representationalism, Anti-Foundationalism, and Anti-Essentialism

Abstract

Richard Rorty (1931–2007), the American neopragmatist philosopher, left behind three ideas with far-reaching impact on contemporary theological discourse: anti-representationalism, anti-foundationalism, and anti-essentialism. These three ideas challenge three core doctrines of systematic theology: the doctrine of God (theology proper), the doctrine of Scripture (bibliology), and the doctrine of humanity (anthropology). This study aims to provide an evangelical theological assessment of Rorty's three ideas and to demonstrate their incompatibility with biblical testimony. The method used is library research with a comparative approach, contrasting Rorty's philosophical propositions with biblical doctrine through exegetical and systematic-theological analysis. The findings show that Rorty's anti-representationalism, which rejects metaphysics and language as a mirror of reality, results in the denial of God's objective existence as stated in Genesis 1:1. Rorty's anti-foundationalism, which denies any final and universal truth, contradicts the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and authority as God's absolute revelation. Rorty's anti-essentialism, which views human identity merely as a social-linguistic construct, conflicts with the doctrine of humanity as imago Dei, created male and female with a fixed essence. The study concludes that Rorty's three ideas are anthropocentric and cannot be integrated into evangelical theology without undermining the very foundations of biblical truth. This research offers an apologetic contribution for the church and evangelical theologians in responding to the influence of postmodern philosophy on the Christian faith.