ABSTRACT
This chapter explains Dewey’s positive account of the role of philosophy. On this account, the root of philosophy is found within natural features of the human condition. The bedrock of philosophical inquiry, like that of all applications of intelligence, is the need to make ourselves ‘at home’—to use the Hegelian phrase—in a world which is profoundly marked by insecurity, and yet which also offers the means for humans to controllably generate safer, more reliable conditions for our flourishing. If ordinary methods of intelligent inquiry (such as common sense and science) can be, roughly, said to be ‘first-order’ tools for problem solving, then philosophy is, crudely, of a ‘second-order’ in this same domain. It asks of us that we critically consider the wider social and intellectual context within which ‘first-order’ inquiries are carried out. Ultimately, in this view, the authority of philosophy is analogous to that of a competent chairperson: its responsibility resides in enabling a discussion, not ensuring that the conclusions that follow are the right ones. Indeed, for Dewey, philosophy ought to offer a forum within which different ideas and belief systems can engage in a fruitful dialogue to help make decisions about how to think and live.
