Dewey and the Project of Critical Social Theory

Abstract

The project of critical social theory shares with progressive (but not classical, free market) liberalism a value-orientation composed of an egalitarian conception of social justice; a positive, developmental view of liberty as self-realization; and a participatory notion of democracy. Differentiating critical theory from all strains of liberalism is the conviction that capitalism cannot support the institutionalization of this value-orientation, and that under modern conditions only some form of democratic socialism can. Given this value-orientation, this paper outlines the mission and structure of the project of critical theory. In its most recent retreat to the academy, practitioners have lost touch not only with its mission but also with the level of historical specificity at which the project can most effectively be practiced. Two proposals are suggested for recovering and executing its mission. The first is to address citizens in particular societies about the moral and political significance of contemporary social change. The second is that theory, description, critique, and vision should proceed at a level of abstraction I call regime analysis. Here the object of analysis is a specific society with its own history, institutional features, and cultural identity. It is suggested that John Dewey's proposals for the revitalization of philosophy are relevant to the recovery of the project of critical social theory. Following Dewey's lead, it is suggested in the conclusion that the execution of the project's mission requires that reflection about the prospects of democratic socialism in the United States build upon a description and critique of the existing regime.