Abstract

John Dewey's analyses of the relationships among ethical theory, intellectual-growth, and the nature of democratic societies are of continuing interest to social and political philosophers, especially those who hold an evolutionary view of these inquiries. The ontological analysis of society and social facts, recently advanced by John Searle, provides us with an alternative way to approach Dewey's thought that is at variance with traditional Deweyan scholarship. While Dewey's arguments are not changed, through Searle's social ontology we can see them differently, which further reveals the complex nature of democratic intentionality