The Public and Its Problems.

DEWEY, John.

Published by Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1927

About this Item

Dewey's First Major Work on Political PhilosophyTP + [iii] = Prefatory Note + v-vi = Contents + half title + 3-224 + 1 blank leaf. Octavo. First Edition (Thomas, 2nd ed., 1939, p. 96).Dewey's first major work on political philosophy wherein he explores the viability and creation of a genuinely democratic society in the face of the major technological and social changes of the 20th century. He begins by seeking to better define what constitutes both the 'public' and the 'state,' investigating how they are created, and outlining their major weaknesses in understanding and propagating its own interests and the public good. Dewey rejects a then popular notion of political technocracy as an alternative system of governing an increasingly complex society. Instead, he claims that democracy is the most viable and sustainable means to achieving the public interest, albeit a flawed and routinely subverted one. He contends that democracy is an ethos and an ongoing project that requires constant public vigilance and engagement to be effective, rather than merely a set of institutional arrangements. This was an argument he would later expand upon most influentially in his essay Creative Democracy: The Task Before Us. The Public and its Problems is a major pragmatic contribution to political philosophy and continued to promote discussion and debate long after its publication.NOTE that in a footnote across pages 116-117, while making a claim about how "bewildered" the general public is, he states: "See Walter Lippmann's "The Phantom Public." To this as well as to his "Public Opinion," I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness, not only as to this particular point, but for ideas involved in my entire discussion even when it reaches conclusions divergent from his." Original publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering on the spine - which is a bit faded relation to the title and less so to the author and publisher information. Overall a tight, bright, clean and gorgeous copy of this important work by Dewey. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Seller Inventory # 1195

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Public and Its Problems.
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, New York
• Publication Date: 1927
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: FIRST EDITION.
• Seller catalogs:
  • Philosophy & Religions