Abstract

Much has been written on Randolph Bourne’s criticisms of Dewey’s support for the United States’ participation in World War One. Dewey agreed with President Wilson that entering the war provided an opportunity to reconstruct the international order along democratic lines.1 Bourne’s central argument against Dewey was that war is inexorable. War cannot be controlled; it is the one arena in which pragmatist method is inoperable. That is, creative intelligence could not use war as instrumental in reconstructing the world order toward peaceful internationalism.2 The general consensus is that Bourne was right, Dewey was wrong. Dewey admitted as much in the years between the World Wars.3 Addams largely agreed with Bourne..