Abstract

This dissertation is an attempt to defend John Dewey's claim that democracy is a way of life which is both social and moral in character. It aims as well to show that the best way to concrete realization of democracy is through the use of means and methods which are in accord with the communal and cooperative spirit of democracy. ;The first chapter is a brief exposition of Dewey's thought on the vital role which philosophy has to play toward the improvement of the conditions and contents of human experience while the second chapter is a comparative evaluation of three different approaches to democracy. These are the traditional liberal approach to democracy as a form of government, the degree of democracy approach to democracy, and Dewey's way of life approach to democracy. It is shown here that democracy is not merely an institutional-political form, that it is the ideal of community life itself. ;The third and fourth chapters examine a number of issues which have to do with whether the democratic ideals of freedom and equality are compatible or incompatible with each other. I defend the egalitarian claim that the realization of genuine democratic freedom is largely dependent on a more equal and fair distribution of the available social resources and opportunities among all individuals in society. ;The fifth chapter considers Dewey's recommendation of scientific method of experimentation as an outstanding model of the form which democratic methods should take, and as a more plausible alternative to the Marxist socialist's endorsement of violent class struggle as a means to radical changes which are needed in the existing social arrangements. On this point, I argue that Dewey's analogy between democratic and scientific methods is marked by an ambiguity. In the final chapter, however, I highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of possible expansion and generalized use of scientific method in the sphere of human relations and, in the light of these, conclude that the adoption of scientific method as a general pattern of inquiry might actually help to insure the democratic way of life against attacks by its enemies