Richard Rorty's extravagant postures on hermeneutics and incommensurability seem ultimately irreconcilable with the practical exigencies of historical interpretation. This article highlights Rorty's views on historical reconstruction to demonstrate his ironic relation to historical practice. Rorty's views on historical method are situated within his larger campaign against the distinctiveness of the "interpretive" approach to human studies. In particular, the article contests his claim for support from Gadamerian hermeneutics. The sort of "conversation" he envisions falls far short of the authentic dialogue with the past he professes to recognize as essential for contemporary culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Rethinking History is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)