This article discusses American philosopher Sidney Hook's theoretical contribution, in order to generate inputs to articulate a critical democratic theory. The return to the writings of that controversial and neglected public intellectual is warranted by his attempt to combine, as early as in the 1930s, two traditions often seen as antithetical: Marxism and Pragmatism. Those traditions are the basis of his democratic theory, grounded in self-rule with effective free consent. The article is structured in four sections. The first of them presents the life and writings of Sidney Hook. The second section explores Hook's pragmatist roots. The third section discusses the elements extracted by Hook from Marxism and his critiques to the followers of that tradition. Lastly, the article explores the political ideas of Sidney Hook, focusing on his conception of democracy, which seems to be simultaneously radical and conservative.
democratic theory; Sidney Hook; pragmatism, Marxism