Dewey and Lippmann: A Comparison, Ch. 6

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Dewey and Lippmann A Comparison, Ch. 6

• Dewey and Lippmann on individualism
• Lippmann accepts that people are individuals,
  separate from the rest of the world, interested,
  and unable to understand much beyond their own
  perspective.
• Dewey challenges the notion that people are
  naturally individuals, but, in doing so, he makes
  new problems for himself. If people are not
  naturally individualistic, then how do we know
  where the individual ends and particular
  associations begin?
• Pp. 185-92 address this difficulty by making two
  claims
• People become individuals in their relationships
  with others.
• By changing these relationships, peoples ability
  to negotiate their own individual perspectives
  and interests in a public setting will also be
  changed.

Based on the above claims, Dewey argues that we
should not worry about bringing individuals
under the control of society as a collectivity.
Rather, we should worry about adjusting social
relationships in such a way as to secure
equable liberation of the powers of all
individual members of all groupings (p. 192).
Social evolution requires changing associations
to protect individual capacities and liberties
(p. 193). In all these arguments, Dewey is
assuring us that he still believes in liberalism
and in individualism.
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Dewey and Lippmann A Comparison, Ch. 6
Dewey on how to reform social relationships to
improve individuals liberties and
potentialities After arguing that Lippmanns
understanding of individualism is faulted, after
claiming that peoples individualism forms not
from innate qualities but from social
relationships, Dewey argues that the great
society needs new social relationships to fashion
a new individualism that will protect peoples
liberties and release their potentialities. He
specifically discusses education (pp. 199-202),
social science (pp. 202-4), politics--Dewey
explicitly rejects any proposals for an
intellectual aristocracy (pp. 204-7)--and finally
the public (pp. 208-9). In his mention of the
public, he sez that we need to improve the
conditions of debate, discussion, and persuasion
(p. 208).
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Dewey and Lippmann A Comparison, Ch. 6
Dewey on improving associations--how to form
community? As he approaches the conclusion,
Dewey returns to his argument for community. He
sez that democracy must begin at home, and its
home is the neighborly community (p. 213). He
makes an extended argument for the value of local
associations, which will connect people to issues
and concerns, bringing them into an awareness of
how these concerns affect their lives (pp.
214-5). Whatever the future may have in store,
one thing is certain. Unless local communal life
can be restored, the public cannot adequately
resolve its most urgent problem to find and
identify itself (p. 216).