Dewey on habit, character, order and reform

Stephen Pratten

Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2015, vol. 39, issue 4, 1031-1052

Abstract: Does Dewey’s account of social reality acknowledge sufficiently its practical dimensions or does his notion of social structure, like Veblen’s, remain ultimately ideational or mentalistic? Many aspects of the relationship between Dewey and Veblen have been explored previously, but this fundamental issue has been left unaddressed. In this article I concentrate on elaborating relevant aspects of Dewey’s contribution, such as his interpretation of habit, instinct, impulse, character, deliberation, choice, custom and growth. His views regarding the possibilities for (and the nature of) the intelligent reform of social institutions are also reviewed. I show that Dewey does acknowledge a significant practical dimension to human existence but then demonstrate that his conception of human sociality and social order ultimately remain aligned with Veblen’s in being predominantly ideational.

Date: 2015
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