A Farewell to Deweyan Democracy: Towards a New Pragmatist Politics

Abstract

The revival of pragmatism has brought renewed enthusiasm for John Dewey's conception of democracy. Drawing upon Rawlsian concerns regarding the fact of reasonable pluralism, the author argues that Deweyan democracy is unworthy of resurrection. A modified version of Deweyan democracy recently proposed by Elizabeth Anderson is then taken up and also found to be lacking. Then the author proposes a model of democracy that draws upon Peirce's social epistemology. The result is a non-Deweyan but nonetheless pragmatist option in democratic theory.

Keywords: Deweyan Democracy, Pragmatism, Charles Peirce, Elizabeth Anderson, Social Epistemology