"Just as philosophy begins with doubt, so also a life that may be called human b
egins with irony" so wrote Kierkegaard. While we commonly think of irony as a fi
gure of speech where someone says one thing and means the opposite, the concept
of irony has long played a more fundamental role in the tradition of philosophy,
a role that goes back to Socrates D the originator and exemplar of the urbane i
ronic life. But what precisely is Socratic irony and what relevance, if any, doe
s it have for us today? Bernstein begins his inquiry with a critical examination
of the work of two contemporary philosophers for whom irony is vital: Jonathan
Lear and Richard Rorty.
