A Culture of Justice
Argues that there is a shared public obligation to establish and maintain a culture of justice, with implications for education, poverty, free speech, and “PC” culture.
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About the book
About “A Culture of Justice”
In A Culture of Justice, Eric Thomas Weber shows how culture can enable or inhibit the pursuit of justice. Weber argues that there is a shared, public obligation to establish and maintain a culture of justice. Culture can be employed to threaten people’s self-respect, to diminish their sense of positive power to pursue meaningful life plans. Weber also addresses problems of poverty and stigmatization as well as of racism and threats conveyed by means of public speech and the cultivation of hatred. Advancing John Dewey’s idea that democracy is a way of life, not merely a set of political mechanisms, he draws implications for policies and practices related to poverty, education, free speech, and the inadequately named set of norms that we call “political correctness.” Written in an accessible style, A Culture of Justice offers numerous everyday examples and conflicts for the reader to consider.
Testimonials
What Readers & Listeners Say
On my talk on A Culture of Justice
I cannot thank you enough for that wonderful event on Thursday. My class was transfixed… you really had everyone’s complete attention. I’ve received a number of comments about it, and I think a few people are going to do their final projects using your work.
On A Culture of Justice
A pleasure to read, A Culture of Justice will appeal to a wide audience of social and political philosophers, scholars and practitioners of education, and people thinking about racial justice. Weber makes clear the relevance of the great American pragmatists to addressing current social and political problems such as poverty, hate speech, and racism.
On America’s Public Philosopher
In these troubled times, Eric Thomas Weber has compiled a magnificent set of essays by John Dewey, the preeminent American public philosopher of the twentieth century. With the help of Weber’s commentaries, all Americans will be able to see how Dewey still speaks to us today, with wisdom and urgency.
On America’s Public Philosopher
In this collection Eric Weber presents expertly curated essays by one of America’s great public intellectuals. John Dewey’s insights into the core issues of American life, then as now, are as fresh today as when they were first published. They provide ample evidence of his continuing relevance for our exceptional time.
On America’s Public Philosopher
An illuminating, succinct introduction that amplifies Dewey’s interest in society as well as his hopeful idealism and belief in the divine. . . . Highly recommended.
On Uniting Mississippi
This book is the beginning of a desperately needed conversation in Mississippi about the future of the state. It addresses an issue that nearly everyone is aware of–the need for high quality education for Mississippians–with an understanding that it must precede rather than flow from economic growth. Anyone interested in education policy in Mississippi should read and consider the case for education in this book.
On Democracy and Leadership
This superbly researched and written book defines more clearly than anything that I have read in recent years the elements that are essential for a democratic political system to fulfill its proper mission. Coming as it does in a time of diminished public decision-making capability, particularly at the national governmental level, this volume points the way out of our current malaise. It should be read by every citizen who wants to see our system work as well as it is capable of. As a former governor of Mississippi, I can attest to the value of the wise and pragmatic counsel which it contains.
On Morality, Leadership, and Public Policy
Morality, Leadership, and Public Policy is written in an engaging manner. So filled is it with clear and powerfully compelling ideas and suggestions that one cannot read the book without finding oneself examining one’s habitual ways of approaching difficulties and seeking new possibilities for meaningful collaboration with others in fashioning public policy. Although Weber writes explicitly for philosophers, his work can also be read with benefit by nonphilosophers who are concerned with the moral dimensions of public policy and leadership.
On Morality, Leadership, and Public Policy
If there was ever any doubt that philosophy belongs in the real world–in the realm of legislatures and leadership–Weber’s book lays it to rest. By a marvelously rich development of the pragmatic experimental method, the author shows how philosophy can make central contributions to dealing with some of our most vexing moral problems. Lucid thinking and accessible style make the book’s lasting insights unmistakable. A must-read for both philosophers and community leaders.
On Rawls, Dewey, and Constructivism
The insight Weber brings to his readers is that Dewey beat Rawls to the punch, and by grounding so much of his political philosophy in his philosophy of education, itself the product of a pervasive influence of evolutionary naturalism, Dewey’s practical philosophy is much more practical than Rawls’s… Weber is at his best when assessing tensions internal to Rawls’s version of constructivism, tensions that Weber thinks Deweyan constructivism, by means of his theory of education, avoids.
On Democracy and Leadership
Weber is direct and interesting…. [He] demonstrates critical and creative thinking skills when detailing solutions to public problems such as the controversial presence of sex education and corporal punishment in public schools, and the challenge of respecting free speech while confronting the prospects of a KKK rally at the University of Mississippi…. Weber’s book is useful and even inspiring, and the weight of common opinion should incline in favor of this work.
On Morality, Leadership, and Public Policy
I cannot urge strongly enough the consideration of this ingenious, well-written study for inclusion in the policy curriculum. We seldom have a book that is both original and practical, and this work is both. We have a major problem in the world today, a shortfall in ethical understanding that is producing dire consequences for every level of government. We need to spark interest in the ethical dimensions of policy studies, and Professor Weber has provided us with both the spark and the tinder. I will make good use of his study, and hope others will too.
On Rawls, Dewey, and Constructivism
Eric Thomas Weber’s excellent book raises a constructivist challenge against Rawls’s constructivism…Weber’s Deweyan critique of Rawls’s constructivist conception of justice points to the difficulty in grasping Kantian constructivism. In Rawls’s writings, the reference to Kantian constructivism is so vague as to be essentially meaningless. That is one of the implications of this very useful book.
On Rawls, Dewey, and Constructivism
Eric Weber’s first book is a TOUR DE FORCE, in terms of its contribution to existing scholarship on John Dewey and John Rawls. In it, he expertly draws upon Dewey’s constructivism in order to critically assess Rawls’s Kantian constructivism.
About the author
I’m Eric Thomas Weber
I am a father, an author, a professor, and an organizational leader. In addition to publishing six books, including A Culture of Justice (SUNY Press 2025) and America’s Public Philosopher (Columbia 2021), I serve as professor of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky. I also direct the Democracy, Ethics, and Educational Philosophy (DEEP) research group and I serve as Executive Director of the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA).
My books
More Books By Eric Thomas Weber
America’s Public Philosopher
John Dewey was America’s greatest public philosopher. His work stands out for its remarkable breadth, and his deep commitment to democracy led him to courageous progressive stances on issues such as war, civil liberties, and racial, class, and gender inequalities. This book collects the clearest and most powerful of his public writings and shows how they continue to speak to the challenges we face today.
Uniting Mississippi
Uniting Mississippi applies a new, philosophically informed theory of democratic leadership to Mississippi’s challenges. Governor William F. Winter has written a foreword for the book, supporting its proposals.
Democracy and Leadership
Democracy and Leadership: On Pragmatism and Virtue presents a theory of leadership drawing on insights from Plato’s Republic, while abandoning his authoritarianism in favor of John Dewey’s democratic thought.
Essays & Announcements
Writings, Talks, Videos, and More
For more of my shorter writings, videoed talks and interviews, images, and event posts about what I’m up to, check out these samples here or click “View all news” below to check out the blog portion of this Web site. That’s where you can find my day to day and latest posts and articles published on this site.
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KY’s Potential for Leadership in Educational Ethics: Calling for an End to Corporal Punishment in American Schools
In the spring of 2023, the Ethics and Social Justice Center at Bellarmine University issued a call for proposals for their yearly Commonwealth Ethics Lecture. They invited scholars from around the state to…
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Stoic Pragmatism for Parenting a Child with Disabilities
It takes a village. Raising children takes all hands on deck, including parents or guardians, teachers, administrators, and educational policymakers. This paper examines common philosophical norms relevant to each of these groups. The…
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[VIDEO]: YOU Should Join my ‘Philosophy of Education’ (EPE525/640) Course Next Fall!
Graduate students and advanced undergraduates at the University of Kentucky, watch this VIDEO (4m29s) about why you should take my EPE 525 / 640 course in the fall of of this year on…
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Prepare to Act Naturally! …
Today, I led a discussion for the department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation’s Lunch & Connect series, which we run to keep people connected despite the pandemic. My meeting was titled: “Prepare…
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Research Trajectories, Big & Small
Today I led the department of Educational Policy Studies & Evaluation‘s Lunch & Connect meeting on Zoom, focusing on the topic: “Research Trajectories: From Idea to Presentation, to Journal Article, to Book.” I…
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Undergraduate Research Beyond the Classroom
On Tuesday, October 13th, 2020, I was invited to give a talk for the Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky on “Undergraduate Research Beyond the Classroom.” This talk is also potentially…
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