Democratic Hope: Pragmatism and the Politics of Truth
"Our most thoughtful intellectuals understand the need to . . . rebuild the connections between theory and democratic practice. In Democratic Hope, Westbrook seeks to establish the political consequences of pragmatism as a philosophical method and, more ambitiously, identify what a pragmatist-inspired politics might look like at this moment. . . . This book is the rare work of intellectual history that is simultaneously a powerful contribution to political criticism."—Casey Nelson Blake, Dissent"Robert B. Westbrook is a fine historian of 'old' pragmatism and its politics: his knowledge and skill are evident in the first half of this book. In the second half, which is even better, he proves himself to be a brilliant critic of contemporary pragmatic politics and, finally, a practitioner."—Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study"Democratic Hope is an impassioned plea for a particular kind of democratic politics from one of John Dewey's most fervent and persuasive champions. Robert B. Westbrook calls for a participatory democratic culture broader than that embraced either by Jeffersonians at the dawn of the republic or by populists a century ago. Never has Dewey's vision of the ethics of democracy mattered more than it does today, and no one illuminates American democratic ideals better than Westbrook does in this book."—James T. Kloppenberg, Harvard University