Composing the Will to Power: John Dewey on Democratic Rhetorical Education

Abstract

In order to highlight the genuinely radical nature of John Dewey’s educational and democratic vision this essay articulates a vision of contemporary rhetorical education that is grounded in a pragmatic rereading of Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of the “will to power.” Drawing from Dewey’s treatment of the will to power in Human Nature and Conduct, I argue that rhetorical pedagogy seeks to arouse, channel, and finally compose the impulses of students through the activity of intelligence in such a way that reflects and advocates for students’ interests within a democratic ethic of advocacy, criticism, and deliberation.

Keywords:

• critical pedgagogy
• democracy
• Nietzsche
• pragmatism
• rhetorical education

Notes

¹ To facilitate access to Nietzsche's work in different editions, I will refer to sections (§), which are common across editions, rather than page numbers.