“Democracy as a way of life” – Rosa M. Calcaterra (John Cabot University, Rome – 18 febbraio 2014)“Democracy as a way of life” . Rosa M. Calcaterra (John Cabot University, Rome – 18 February 2014)

Il 18 febbraio 2014, presso la John Cabot University di Roma (12:45 – 1:30p.m., Room G.1.1, Guarini Campus) Rosa M. Calcaterra terrà un seminario su “Democracy as a way of life”.

Abstract
The religious background of John Dewey’s thought strongly affects his conception of democracy, which nevertheless explicitly claims the independence from supernatural beliefs. The ‘quasi- religious’ feature that he assigns to democratic ideals is a peculiar expression of his ‘naturalistic humanism’, and – in contrast to the formalist and social contract theories- Dewey embraces a substantive conception of the democratic system, according to which it is the proper space for realizing the best of human ‘natural’ potentialities. Far from representing art of ‘bio political’ stance or a mere apology of Americanism, this idea of democracy is inspired by an instrumentalist epistemology as well as by a historicist philosophical perspective, and centers on a reconstruction of the concepts of ‘individuality’ and ‘society’ or a theoretical plea for a ‘new individualism’. As opposed to the old pseudo-Darwinian individualism that was responsible of hypostatizing and detaching individual and society in order to justify injustice and social inequalities, the ‘new individualism’ implies a conception of subjectivity that tries to combine individual autonomy and social responsibility. This requires a project of social engineering, which could allow the implementation of an individual’s aspirations as well as the development of social structures, but first of all requires an approach to democracy as a regulative ideal of ordinary human life.

 Next 18 February 2014 at the John Cabot University of Rome (12:45 – 1:30p.m., Room G.1.1, Guarini Campus) Rosa M. Calcaterra will give a lecture on “Democracy as a way of life”

Abstract
The religious background of John Dewey’s thought strongly affects his conception of democracy, which nevertheless explicitly claims the independence from supernatural beliefs. The ‘quasi- religious’ feature that he assigns to democratic ideals is a peculiar expression of his ‘naturalistic humanism’, and – in contrast to the formalist and social contract theories- Dewey embraces a substantive conception of the democratic system, according to which it is the proper space for realizing the best of human ‘natural’ potentialities. Far from representing art of ‘bio political’ stance or a mere apology of Americanism, this idea of democracy is inspired by an instrumentalist epistemology as well as by a historicist philosophical perspective, and centers on a reconstruction of the concepts of ‘individuality’ and ‘society’ or a theoretical plea for a ‘new individualism’. As opposed to the old pseudo-Darwinian individualism that was responsible of hypostatizing and detaching individual and society in order to justify injustice and social inequalities, the ‘new individualism’ implies a conception of subjectivity that tries to combine individual autonomy and social responsibility. This requires a project of social engineering, which could allow the implementation of an individual’s aspirations as well as the development of social structures, but first of all requires an approach to democracy as a regulative ideal of ordinary human life.