Abstract
AbstractMary Parker Follett was a feminist-pragmatist American philosopher, a social-settlement worker, a founding figure in the community centers movement, a mediator of labor disputes, and a theorist of political and social organization and management. I argue that she is a model for a certain kind of public philosopher, and I unpack the respects in which she serves as such a model. I emphasize both her virtues as a public thinker and the role played in her work by the process of integration and the creative process.
Highlights
Common complaints about contemporary social and political issues in America and Europe emphasize partisanship, divisiveness, and the degradations and failures of democracy (Drutman 2017; Carpenter 2019)
According to Sharon Meagher, co-founder of the Public Philosophy Network, “Public philosophy should not be confused with mere publicity or celebrity”; instead, “Public philosophy should be transformative” (Meagher 2013, 5–8)
According to James Tully, “The role of a public philosophy is to address public affairs . . . by trying to enter into the dialogues with citizens engaged in struggles against various forms of injustice and oppression” (Tully 2008, 3)
Summary
In 1920, she was appointed to the Massachusetts Minimum Wage Board, where she worked as a representative of the public to mediate disputes between employers and employees and became increasingly involved with labor negotiations (Follett 1924, 14–15; Whipps 2014, 408) This level of social engagement is seen in Follett’s practice of engaging with local communities and neighborhood groups through the settlement and community centers, through her work on labor issues and workplace organization, or through her dissatisfaction with the state of contemporary politics. Whether engaged in a committee meeting or a labor negotiation, the proposed process of integration serves a perceived need in that situation
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