Nick Turnbull
School of Social Science and Policy
University of New South Wales
n.turnbull@unsw.edu.au
Stream: Political and Social Theory
Refereed: Yes
What is the status of questioning in Dewey’s theory of inquiry? Democracy, science, and
practical reason
John Dewey’s philosophy is a notable contribution to political theory. Dewey’s ideas on
democracy derive from his theory of inquiry as practical problem solving. Some scholars argue
Dewey’s theory is still relevant for democratic theory, but others reject this, criticising his
instrumental rationality and emphasis on scientific method. We can better understand the
relevance of Dewey’s philosophy by reflecting upon his problem solving logic. Drawing on
Michel Meyer’s philosophy, I question the status of questioning in Dewey’s philosophy, showing
that he shares with positivism the same conception of answering as the dissolution of questions.
Dewey disguises the constitutive role of questioning by grounding knowledge in experience.
Even though Dewey’s theory of practical reason was oriented towards public problems, which he
argued was less elitist than traditional philosophy and pure science, the problem solving ideal
ensured that his theory of democracy in fact lent itself to a scientific conception of political
decision making. Dewey’s theory of knowledge could not provide the basis for his preferred
model of democracy. His mistake was to reject philosophy in favour of science, thus asserting a
particular conception of answering that cannot be verified on its own terms. If we reflect upon
Dewey’s reasoning we see that his theory of inquiry is itself the product of an inquiry, suggesting
that questioning in fact plays a constitutive role in knowledge, and that we should recognise the
value of questioning in philosophical answering. This suggests a problematological
reconstruction of knowledge (from Michel Meyer) that affirms an enhanced status for
questioning, and indicates a broader conception of answering than the scientific and common
sense ideal of problem solving. Grounding knowledge in the principle of questioning provides the
basis for a non-scientific politics.