In this talk, he will a) discuss the metaphors that have been used to describe the United States (melting pot, tossed salad, ethnic stew), b) give a very brief history of political thought, c) introduce the notion of pragmatism and pragmatic truth, d) discuss the work of John Dewey, Richard Rorty, and Josiah Royce, and then e) draw conclusions about why he thinks that food metaphors are not helpful in describing a community. His aim is to show that in a community one must be committed both to their small towns and villages and at the same time be committed to the community as a whole. He wants to show how community is natural (as it is in ancient philosophy, Plato and Arisotle) and not artificial (as it is in Hobbes, Machiavelli, and Rousseau). He is critical of Dewey and Rorty when they say that there is no such thing as truth. He tries to develop a notion of consensus that is grounded in truth.