By taking as its point of departure the theses developed by Jacques Rancière in The Emancipated Spectator, this article examines the conditions needed for philosophy to play a constructive role in the spectator’s engagement. The author proposes turning to the pragmatic philosophy of John Dewey as presented in Art as Experience: conceived as the transformation of bodily energies, the aesthetic experience defined by Dewey is somatic, rhythmic and relational, allowing us to get past the oppositions of actor/spectator, activity/passivity. Dewey’s aesthetic theory as a whole emphasizes on the spectator’s experience insofar as it is creative. By exploring the influences of Art as Experience on the development of American art and in pragmatic aesthetics according to Richard Shusterman, the article highlights the performative component essential to the aesthetic experience. By conceiving of the spectator as a part of the performance, pragmatism encourages us to simultaneously revisit philosophy’s role and function: faced with the issue of the spectator’s engagement, philosophy can then be envisaged in its own performative dimensions, based on an approach resembling that of the recently created researcher network “Performance Philosophy.”