Silences and Double Binds: Why the Theories of John Dewey and Paulo Freire Cannot Contribute to Revitalizing the Commons

Abstract

"I will argue that in spite of their concern with social justice, Dewey and Freire shared a number of assumptions with today's proponents of globalizing the industrial/consumer-based culture which drives planetary ecological breakdown. I begin by summarizing four major trends that put our collective future at risk. This summary is intended to serve as a reference point for assessing whether the pro-environmental interpretations of the core ideas of Dewey and Freire can turn them into sources of resistance to these destructive trends."