This paper is focused on the philosophical relevance of the Kuhnian concept of incommensurability. After the initial uproar which stemmed from the publication of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn restated his arguments on inter-paradigmatic incommensurability on somewhat new bases. In the light of such arguments, what seemed na extremely agressive epistemological idea in the sixties, has become, according to many, a neutral concept which does not deserve the philosopher's attention. My main aim in this article is to show how (...) recent developments in Kuhn's thought may rescue much of the original polemic character of his conception of incommensurability. (shrink)

Resumo: Rorty tem sido por vezes caracterizado como o mais carbonário e destrutivo dos pensadores americanos. Este retrato parece ser confirmado por sua adoção de um historicismo radical que poderia ser entendido como equivalente ao abandono de toda forma de racionalismo. Nestes termos, não surpreendentemente, passa a ser um perfeito exemplar daquilo que expoentes da velha guarda epistemológica qualificam escandalizadamente como "perigos para a Civilização Ocidental".Neste contexto, a tarefa premente que se coloca é a de se aniquilar a verdadeira dimensão (...) do repto rortyano à filosofia contemporânea: seria seu ataque à ortodoxia realmente apropriado? Ou seria ele mais consistente do que se afirma com variantes racionalistas? Minha intenção é a de enfrentar estas questões e apontar o que me parece ser uma falha de Rorty na interpretação do projeto racionalista.: Rorty has been for several times characterized as the most revolutionary and destructive among the American Philosophers. This portrait seems to be confirmed by its adoption of a radical historicism which might have been understood as equivalent to the abandon of all form rationalism. In these terms, not surprisingly, it becomes a perfect example of what exponents of the old epistemological group scandallizedly qualify as "threats to the western civilization".In this context, the proposed urgent task is to evaluate the real dimension of Rotyan challenge to contemporary philosophy: would his assault on orthodoxy be really appropriate? Would it be more consistent than what is affirmed through rationalist alternatives? My intention is to face these questions and point what is for me Rorty's failure concerning the comprehension of rationalist project. (shrink)