Towards Dewey's notion of intercultural philosophy

The first part of the article deals with Dewey's pragmatism and its relation to intercultural philosophy. Already Dewey's early thought took into consideration the importance of intercultural philosophy, and the article points out some elements in his thought that reveal the hidden potential of Dewey's philosophy for contemporary intercultural philosophy. It also discusses several characteristics of pragmatism with regard to intercultural thought, and lays special emphasis on Dewey's stay in China, which gave rise to a new epoch of intercultural contacts between the American and Chinese philosophical and political tradition. Furthermore, it highlights Dewey's social philosophy that gave this American philosopher of classical pragmatism the platform to develop his notion of democracy. The second part of the article suggests a possible way of applying Dewey's social philosophy to modem political theories as developed by Latin American, African and Indian philosophers. The questions posed by the article relate to the currently very topical intercultural North-South divide and related issues of poverty and social inequality. They place special emphasis on the notions of freedom as developed by the West and the South, thereby proposing a possible alternative understanding of the Western notion of liberal democracy.