The Eclipse of the Public

Dewey diagnoses the modern condition where the public is lost or obscured due to the complexity and scale of industrial society.

Dewey argues that the public has become obscured by the complexity of modern society and the dominance of private interests.

Dewey describes how new publics remain inchoate because inherited political forms obstruct their organization, leading to apathy and disregard for the state.

Dewey's discussion of how the public is unorganized and formless until articulated through officials, and the risk that officials may turn powers to private account, relates to the theme of the public's potential eclipse by corrupt or self-interested government.

The chapter addresses the primary problem of the public: achieving recognition and organization to give it weight in selecting officials and defining responsibilities.