# The Public and Its Problems — Key Concepts & Themes

> Key concepts in The Public and Its Problems by John Dewey.

- [The State and Government](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/concepts/cos-state-and-government.md): The text distinguishes between the state as a formal political organization and the broader, dynamic processes of governance and community life.
- [Communication and Democracy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/concepts/cos-communication-and-democracy.md): Dewey argues that effective communication is the essential foundation for a functioning democratic public and shared understanding.
- [Critique of Atomistic Individualism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/concepts/cos-critique-of-individualism.md): The book challenges the classical liberal notion of the isolated individual, emphasizing the social and relational nature of human experience.
- [The Great Society vs. The Great Community](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/concepts/cos-the-great-society-vs-great-community.md): Dewey contrasts the fragmented, technologically interconnected 'Great Society' with the ideal of a genuinely democratic and participatory 'Great Community.'
- [Inquiry and Social Intelligence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/concepts/cos-inquiry-and-intelligence.md): The work advocates for the application of scientific inquiry and experimental intelligence to solve public problems and improve social conditions.
- [The Eclipse of the Public](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/concepts/cos-eclipse-of-the-public.md): Dewey diagnoses the modern condition where the public is lost or obscured due to the complexity and scale of industrial society.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/concepts