Ironism

Ironism (n. ironist; from irony) is a theoretical and literary stance introduced by the American neopragmatist Richard Rorty in his 1989 book Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. The concept expresses a form of self-understanding grounded in the recognition that one’s most fundamental vocabulary, sense of self, and sense of community are contingent rather than derived from objective or universal foundations.

Rorty contrasts ironism with metaphysical realism, arguing that the latter seeks immutable truths about reality, whereas the ironist accepts that all descriptions of the world are historically situated and revisable. Ironism is thus central to Rorty’s vision of a post-metaphysical culture in which individuals are free to continually redescribe themselves and their communities without appeal to transcendental justification.