The Public and Its Problems · Chapter
III: The Democratic State explained
Dewey examines the dual capacity of public officials—including voters—as both representatives of the public interest and bearers of private interests, and argues that the primary problem of the public is to achieve recognition and organize
What happens
Dewey examines the dual capacity of public officials—including voters—as both representatives of the public interest and bearers of private interests, and argues that the primary problem of the public is to achieve recognition and organize itself to secure dominance of the public weal. He critiques the individualistic philosophy that accompanied the rise of democratic states, noting that at the very moment the individual was exalted in theory, vast impersonal organizations and mechanical forces were submerging personal action. The Great Society created by technology is a society but not a community, and the need to control these new forces drove the formation of democratic national states, even as the philosophy of individualism obscured the real conditions of association and power.
Themes in this chapter
The State and Government
Dewey defines the state functionally as the organization of a public to secure its interests, and discusses the dual capacity of officials and the problem of representative government.
Critique of Atomistic Individualism
Dewey critiques the individualistic philosophy that accompanied the democratic state, arguing it was formulated just as the individual was being submerged by vast impersonal organizations.
The Great Society vs. The Great Community
Dewey notes that the Great Society created by technology is a society but not a community, and that the invasion of local communities by impersonal forces is the outstanding fact of modern life.
The Eclipse of the Public
The chapter addresses the primary problem of the public: achieving recognition and organization to give it weight in selecting officials and defining responsibilities.
Characters to notice
- Carlyle
Mentioned for his savage attacks on the notion of a society held together by individualistic premises.
- John Locke
Referenced indirectly through the individualistic philosophy that centered on the individual as a possessor of desires and claims.
- Adam Smith
Referenced indirectly through the individualistic philosophy and the 'old Adam' of economic man.
- Rousseau
Referenced indirectly through the tradition of social contract and individual sovereignty.
- Aristotle
Referenced indirectly through the Greek states of antiquity as exceptions in the selection of rulers.
Key passages
“Every officer of the public, whether he represents it as a voter or as a stated official, has a dual capacity. From this fact the most serious problem of government arises.”
Every person acting on behalf of the public—whether as a voter or as an elected official—has two roles: one serving the public interest and one serving private or group interests. This conflict is the fundamental challenge of government.
Dewey identifies the dual capacity of public officers as the core problem of political organization.
“The Great Society created by steam and electricity may be a society, but it is no community.”
The vast, interconnected society produced by modern technology is a collection of people, but it lacks the face-to-face relationships and shared consciousness that define a true community.
Dewey distinguishes between the Great Society (impersonal, mechanical) and the Great Community (local, conscious, participatory).
“The identification of democratic forms of government with this individualism was easy. The right of suffrage represented for the mass a release of hitherto dormant capacity and also, in appearance at least, a power to shape social relations on the basis of individual volition.”
It was natural to link democracy with individualism because voting seemed to free people and give them personal power over social arrangements, even though real control lay with large organizations.
Dewey critiques the superficial equation of democracy with individual sovereignty, noting that deeper forces of association and organization were overlooked.
