Abstract

This thesis presents the debate happened during the 1920s between the journalist Walter Lippmann and the philosopher and pedagogist John Dewey around the topics of public opinion and modern democracy. The aim of this study is to interpret the dispute between these two intellectuals based on their assumptions regarding three themes: communication, science and democratic government. We will read the notable works "Public Opinion", "The Phantom Public" and "The Public and Its Problems" to compare their views on the three aforementioned subjects and, in the end, we will try to connect their thoughts and worries with the problems that modern liberal democracies have, dealing with science advancements, mass communication and political representation.