# Critique of Atomistic Individualism in The Public and Its Problems

> Theme guide for The Public and Its Problems by John Dewey.

The book challenges the classical liberal notion of the isolated individual, emphasizing the social and relational nature of human experience.

## Where it surfaces

- [Discovery of the State](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/chapters/ii-discovery-of-the-state): Dewey rejects the notion of a purely private sphere of consciousness and argues that the idea of private rights is a product of social and institutional change, critiquing atomistic individualism.
- [III: The Democratic State](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/chapters/iii-the-democratic-state): Dewey critiques the individualistic philosophy that accompanied the democratic state, arguing it was formulated just as the individual was being submerged by vast impersonal organizations.
- [VI: The Problem of Method](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/chapters/vi-the-problem-of-method): Dewey deconstructs the notion of the isolated individual, arguing that individuality is defined by connections and consequences, not spatial separateness.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/themes/critique_of_individualism
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/themes