Sense of Democracy Against Totalitarianism as a Way of Life

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to show how Dewey's empirical philosophy is anti-totalitarian through an examination of his diagnosis of how there is a decisive break within Western philosophy. First, I trace Dewey's account of the social origin of philosophy and how the classical conception of it was instituted in Western philosophy. Then, I show that modern philosophy breaks from this conception due to the discovery of an alternative notion of knowing. Based on these expositions, I provide an elucidation of Dewey's alternative conception of philosophy as a formulation of a way of life that seeks to bring about individuality through the creation of experience. I argue that this conception is anti-totalitarian because it rejects the denial of individuality which Dewey takes to be implicit in the classical conception. Finally, I call attention to the contemporary significance of this conclusion by showing how Dewey's anti-totalitarianism bears upon two interrelated contemporary concerns that scholars have raised, inviting scholars to take up Dewey's philosophical project with renewed and critical urgency.