John Dewey addresses the enduring divergence between political facts and abstract political theories, arguing that the traditional search for causal agency in state formation is fundamentally flawed. Instead, he proposes that a public is generated whenever the indirect consequences of conjoint human behavior extend beyond those immediately engaged in a transaction, creating a shared interest that requires systematic regulation through official representatives. When these consequences become extensive, enduring, and remote, the resulting public struggles to identify and articulate itself, leading to the eclipse of the public in the modern technological era.
The historical rise of political democracy coincided with the industrial revolution and the expansion of the Great Society, driven largely by non-political technological forces rather than abstract philosophical doctrines. However, the inherited individualistic philosophy of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries incorrectly treated human beings as isolated, self-sufficient entities possessing natural rights, while ignoring the complex, impersonal organizations that actually shape modern life. Consequently, the traditional machinery of elections, representative responsibility, and majority rule no longer functions as intended, leaving citizens apathetic and bewildered by an intricate social reality they cannot directly perceive or control.
Political parties and formal institutions have largely become mechanisms for preventing bitter controversies from reaching the populace, while specialized experts and economic interests increasingly dominate administrative affairs. Dewey contends that this systemic paralysis cannot be cured merely by tinkering with existing political machinery or by instituting an oligarchy of expert intellectuals who remain isolated from common needs. True expertise in a democratic society belongs properly to the technical investigation of social facts and consequences rather than to the autocratic framing and execution of policies.
The core of the problem is intellectual and moral, demanding a radical transformation in the methods and conditions of social inquiry and public communication. For a public to emerge from its eclipse, social science must abandon its absolutist logic and treat its conclusions as working hypotheses tested by continuous observation of consequences. Furthermore, technical knowledge must be translated and distributed through the freeing of artistic presentation and public discussion, replacing propaganda and secrecy with genuine publicity.
Ultimately, Dewey maintains that political democracy is merely a mechanism to support the broader social idea of democracy, which requires that individuals share responsibly in directing associated activities and participating in common values. While the Great Society spans the globe with intricate economic and technological ties, it has failed to become a Great Community because it lacks the vital face-to-face intercourse and shared meaning found in local community life. The restoration of an articulate public and the realization of genuine democracy must therefore begin at home in the neighborly community, where shared communication can transform unorganized masses into an active, intelligent public.
