As long as politics is the shadow cast on society by big business, the attenuation of the shadow will not change the substance." - Meaning and context.">
Quoted in John Dewey and American Democracy by Robert Westbrook (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1991), p. 440; cited in Understanding Power (2002) by Noam Chomsky, ch. 9, footnote 16; originally from "The Need for a New Party" (1931) by John Dewey, Later Works 6, p. 163. (Via Westbrook.)

As long as politics is the shadow cast on society by big business, the attenuation of the shadow will not change the substance.

— John Dewey

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "As long as politics is the shadow cast on society by big business, the attenuation of the shadow will not change the substance." in the context of "Quoted in John Dewey and American Democracy by Robert Westbrook (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1991), p. 440; cited in Understanding Power (2002) by Noam Chomsky, ch. 9, footnote 16; originally from "The Need for a New Party" (1931) by John Dewey, Later Works 6, p. 163. (Via Westbrook.)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "John Dewey" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
John Dewey

About John Dewey

John Dewey (October 20 1859 – June 1 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer. A major figure in the Pragmatist school of American philosophy, his work has been influential in a wide range of fields.