John Dewey and the Philosophy and Practice of Hope

by Stephen Fishman, Lucille McCarthy

Inspiring new techniques for engaging students with democratic ideals John Dewey and the Philosophy and Practice of Hope combines philosophical theory with a study of its effects in an actual classroom. To understand how Dewey, one of the century's foremost philosophers of education, understood the concept of hope, Stephen Fishman begins with theoretical questions What is hope? What are its objects? How can hope foster a new understanding of democracy and social justice? The book's second half is a classroom study that mir-rors in practice what Fishman explores in theory, as Lucille McCarthy observes Fishman's undergraduate students reading the theorists. Illustrating students' own vital engagement with the hope literature, McCarthy reveals how the discussions deepen student understandings, simultaneously showing education's power to promote hope and turn social ideals into reality.

248 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 2007

Reviews

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was assigned the Fishman portion of the book for an independent study in grad school. It was meant to be an intro to Dewey. I recommend reading John Dewey's writings before reading this book. Otherwise, you will end up like me, not knowing if John Dewey really thought like this or if this is just the author's very particular spin on Dewey's philosophy. Do yourself a favor and stick to primary sources in philosophy to avoid muddled thinking.

[Bradleyreginald]

John Dewey is my favorite philosopher... basically because of his picture on the front of this book! This book is not by him, but by someone that studies his philosophy. It's a great way to look at life and live with hope. Short book, quick read, very inspiring.