Dewey as a Radical Democrat and a Liberal Democrat: Considerations on Bernstein on Dewey

Abstract

Richard J. Bernstein’s The Pragmatic Turn gathers on a single spool a generous diversity of threads which can be taken as sufficient for the challenging project of weaving the tapestry of pragmatist philosophy. These threads are among the hallmarks of Bernstein’s impressive philo- sophic career, which has involved not only 50 years of contributions to scholarly literatures on key figures in classicopragmatism, neoprag- matism, and critical theory, but also the impressive development of an original philosophical perspective itself locatable through the pragma- tist tradition. Like all of the best pragmatist philosophers before him, Bernstein’s pragmatism has been both centered at the very heart of pragmatism and has at the same time been uncomfortable with being so centered. Thus, further like all of the best pragmatists, Bernstein has worked to push and press pragmatism beyond itself. This grain of Bernstein’s thinking and writing about pragmatism must remain central, then, to any discussion of his work. The same grain should also be central for any work on or in pragmatism, though that is quite another point, perhaps also a more contentious one. That it is conten- tious is problematic insofar as it signals a lack of pragmatist experimen- talism, on the part of some, about pragmatist experimentalism itself. Hence our present need for the pragmatism, both in letter and in spirit, of a thinker such as Bernstein.