John Dewey and the "Problem" of the Mundane: Eventualism and the Ceaseless Quest for Certainty

• In Event: Dewey's Democracy in Unprecedented Times

Abstract

John Dewey pragmatism has been interpreted in divergent ways. This study proposes an eventualistic theory that draws from both Deweyan pragmatism and his biography to both explain the diversity of such interpretations. To do so, critical discourse analysis is used in analyzing John Dewey’s scholarly writings as compiled in the 38 volumes of his collected works. The analysis showed five major themes of the eventual in Deweyan pragmatism (by order of priority: gestalt, drama, nature, power, and democracy). The analysis also demonstrated the clear affinities between Dewey’s intellectual legacy and his cultural biography. Finally, Dewey was suspicious of any quest for certainty, a quest that is more than evident in most of the scholarly (dis)appropriations of his intellectual legacy.

Author

• Ali H. Hachem, Stephen F. Austin State University