Abstract
The study is a systematic interpretation of Rorty's conception of knowledge as it can be reconstructed on the basis of the book Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. Although Rorty is sweeping in his criticism of theories of knowledge, it can still be shown that he himself works with a certain positivite conception not only of what knowledge does not consist in, but also of what it positively concerns.
The study describes the basic points of Rorty's conception of knowledge (knowledge as the practice of justification, knowledge as description, knowledge as the modification of theory, knowledge as coping), and it presents Rorty's critique of epistemology in favour of the concept of self-determination. The conclusion of the study looks at the question of how Rorty is able to justify the rejection of epistemology and the acceptance of a hermeneutical viewpoint.