John Dewey, The Public and Its Problems

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1、1SearchforthePublicIfonewishestorealizethedistancewhichmayliebetween‘‘facts’’andthemeaningoffacts,letonegotothefieldofsocialdiscussion.Manypersonsseemtosupposethatfactscarrytheirmeaningalongwiththemselvesontheirface.Accumulateenoughofthem,andtheirinterpretationstaresoutatyou.Thedevelopmen

2、tofphysicalscienceisthoughttoconfirmtheidea.Butthepowerofphysicalfactstocoercebeliefdoesnotresideinthebarephenomena.Itproceedsfrommethod,fromthetechniqueofresearchandcalculation.Nooneiseverforcedbyjustthecollectionoffactstoacceptaparticulartheoryoftheirmeaning,solongasoneretainsintactsome

3、otherdoctrinebywhichhecanmarshalthem.Onlywhenthefactsareallowedfreeplayforthesugges-tionofnewpointsofviewisanysignificantconversionofconvictionastomeaningpossible.Takeawayfromphysicalscienceitslaboratoryapparatusanditsmathematicaltechnique,andthehumanimaginationmightrunwildinitstheoriesof

4、interpretationevenifwesupposethebrutefactstoremainthesame.Inanyevent,socialphilosophyexhibitsanimmensegapbetweenfactsanddoctrines.Compare,forexample,thefactsofpoliticswiththetheorieswhichareextantregardingthenatureofthestate.Ifinquirersconfinethemselvestoobservedphenomena,thebehaviorofkin

5、gs,presidents,legislators,judges,sheriffs,assessorsandallotherpublicofficials,surelyareasonableconsensusisnotdifficulttoattain.Contrastwiththisagreementthedifferenceswhichexistastothebasis,nature,functionsandjustificationofthestate,andnotetheseeminglyhopelessdisagreement.Ifoneasksnotforanen

6、umerationoffacts,butforadefinitionofthestate,oneisplungedintocontroversy,intoamedleyofcontradictoryclamors.Accordingtoonetradition,whichclaimsto.................18258$$CH107-10-1211:17:53PSPAGE4142THEPUBLICANDITSPROBLEMSderivefromAristotle,thestateisassociatedandharmonizedlifeliftedtoitsh

7、ighestpotency;thestateisatoncethekeystoneofthesocialarchandisthearchinitswholeness.Accordingtoanotherview,itisjustoneofmanysocialinstitutions,havinganarrowbutimportantfunction,thatofarbiterintheconflictofothersocialunits.1Everygroupspringsoutofandrealizesaposi-tivehumanint