Pragmatist DemocracyEvolutionary Learning as Public Philosophy

Abstract

Drawing inspiration from the philosophy of Pragmatism, this book argues for a new “problem-solving democracy,” where public agencies build consent for public policy by engaging the public in active problem-solving. More so than legislatures, public agencies serve as linchpins between popular sovereignty and on-the-ground governance. For pubic agencies to play a different role in democracy, we must re-imagine how they function as organizations and interact with the public. The Pragmatist philosophy associated with Charles Peirce, William James, John Dewey, George Herbert Mead provides a framework for re-imagining that role. Pragmatism advances an evolutionary, learning-oriented perspective that stresses problem-driven, reflexive, and deliberative public action. The book uses this evolutionary learning perspective to analyze how public agencies might overcome tensions between centralization and decentralization, engage in more strategic problem-solving, and facilitate collaborative governance among public stakeholders. In developing these arguments, the book builds on and extends the current revival of interest of the social sciences in Pragmatism, reinvigorating an overlooked tradition of Pragmatist institutionalism. By showing how Pragmatism’s evolutionary learning perspective can tackle issues at the heart of our current democratic malaise and engage the broad intellectual concerns of the social sciences, the book provides a concrete demonstration of why Pragmatism can serve as a powerful public philosophy.

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