From [“Political Ethics”] to [“Social Philosophy”]: The Need for Social Theory

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a generic account of John Dewey’s project of social philosophy. Dewey began lecturing on social philosophy when he became aware that society cannot be considered as a social organism and that a philosophical approach to social problems should bring various social sciences into alignment. As a result, social philosophy should be grounded not only in a social psychology, but also in a social theory. This article also shows that Dewey’s social philosophy consists in a theory of the method that is applied in The Public and its Problems , Individualism Old and New , and other books and articles. As a method of intelligent social criticism, social philosophy should therefore be considered as a genuine and decisive part of Dewey’s mature philosophical endeavors.