Philosophy and Civilization

by John Dewey

THIS 48 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: The Philosophy of John Dewey, by John Dewey. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766143910.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Education, 20th Century

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey, along with Charles Sanders Peirce and William James, is recognized as one of the founders of the philosophy of pragmatism and of functional psychology. He was a major representative of the progressive and progressive populist philosophies of schooling during the first half of the 20th century in the USA.

In 1859, educator and philosopher John Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont. He earned his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University in 1884. After teaching philosophy at the University of Michigan, he joined the University of Chicago as head of a department in philosophy, psychology and education, influenced by Darwin, Freud and a scientific outlook. He joined the faculty of Columbia University in 1904. Dewey's special concern was reform of education. He promoted learning by doing rather than learning by rote. Dewey conducted international research on education, winning many academic honors worldwide. Of more than 40 books, many of his most influential concerned education, including My Pedagogic Creed (1897), Democracy and Education (1902) and Experience and Education (1938). He was one of the founders of the philosophy of pragmatism. A humanitarian, he was a trustee of Jane Addams' Hull House, supported labor and racial equality, and was at one time active in campaigning for a third political party. He chaired a commission convened in Mexico City in 1937 inquiring into charges made against Leon Trotsky during the Moscow trials. Raised by an evangelical mother, Dewey had rejected faith by his 30s. Although he disavowed being a "militant" atheist, when his mother complained that he should be sending his children to Sunday school, he replied that he had gone to Sunday School enough to make up for any truancy by his children. As a pragmatist, he judged ideas by the results they produced. As a philosopher, he eschewed an allegiance to fixed and changeless dogma and superstition. He belonged to humanist societies, including the American Humanist Association. D. 1952.

Reviews

[Slow Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is 400ish pages long, not 40ish as its goodreads descriptor suggests. Dewey’s influential worldview is on display throughout, including in some great essays on the history of American pragmatism. I disagree with almost every one of his philosophical positions except for those concerning education …quite a nice read though, his prose style is terse and pliable

[Billie Pritchett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title is misrepresented on Goodreads, but whatever. Philosophy and Civilization is a 400-and-some-odd page collection of speeches made into articles made into a books representing John Dewey's view of the relation between philosophy and civilization. The worst part is its in the thrall of bad science, behaviorism to be exact. The good news, if there is any, is that there's a sincere effort here on Dewey's part to make philosophy relate to real issues that affect people in law, sociology, psychology. But better to read another book by Dewey and avoid this one. It's an interesting historical curiosity, and not much more.