Upcoming Conference

Democracy, Scientific Experts, and Public Opinion: A Centennial of Dewey's The Public and Its Problems and the Dewey-Lippmann Exchange

Planned for October 2027 • Dates TBA in October 2026

As 2027 marks the centennial of the publication of John Dewey’s influential work, The Public and its Problems, we are excited to announce a conference to celebrate this anniversary at the Center for Dewey Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. This conference will not only focus on The Public and its Problems but also on the context of Dewey’s exchange with Walter Lippmann. From 1922-1927, Dewey and Lippmann engaged in a series of publications and reviews on the topics of democracy, the complexities of modern society, the role of scientific expertise in governance, and the problems and prospects of public opinion. This exchange culminated in the publication of one of Dewey's most influential works, The Public and Its Problems, in which he defended a novel form of democracy as a form of social inquiry that would learn from and be integrated with science. Many of the issues raised by Lippmann and Dewey are as relevant and pressing today as they were one hundred years ago. These include debates over the social role of experts, the relative status of expert knowledge and public opinion, the challenge of communicating complex scientific and social information, the relationship between art and science in public journalism, cognitive biases and the media, and the nature of democracy in a global, technological age. This conference will bring together Dewey and Lippmann scholars, researchers in science and technology studies, and experts in communication, science policy studies, and other related fields to explore the interpretation and contemporary relevance of Dewey's The Public and its Problems, Lippmann's Public Opinion and The Phantom Public, and other related texts.

Keynote Speakers

• Nathan Crick (Texas A&M University)
• Heather Douglas (Michigan State University)
• Philip Kitcher (Columbia University)
• Melvin L. Rogers (Brown University)

Additional Invited Speakers TBD

Call for Papers Coming Fall 2026