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Dewey's Metaphysics
Whitehead's response to the epistemological challenges of Hume and Kant, written in a style devoid of the metaphysical intricacies of his later works, Symbolism makes accessible his theory of perception and his more general insights into the function of symbols in culture and society.
- GenresPhilosophy
Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 12, 2025
This book probably will not appeal to those who are just interested in general philosophical issues, however, for those interested in Dewey, they will find it most rewarding. Professor Boisvrt does an outstanding job of explaining John Dewey's developmental progression, specifically Dewey as an innovator and creative thinker in the way he dealt with philosophical concerns. Some have said that was probably the best mind Aerica produced, not sure if that's true but he's one of them. I would strongly recommend this book to someone who wants to understand Dewey's metaphysics. It's an excellent analysis of Dewey's thinking. Incidentally on Amazon, you can download the e-book for free
October 25, 2025
A Study Of Change And Permanence In John Dewey's Metaphysics
I have been studying the philosophy of John Dewey (1859 -- 1952) and have been struggling with understanding his metaphysics in his book "Experience and Nature" and elsewhere. Although once neglected, Dewey's thought has had a resurgence of interest in recent years. And metaphysics, often pronounced dead by analytically-inclined philosophers, among others, also has experienced something of a revival.
I was fortunate to find, Raymond Boisvert's book, "Dewey's Metaphysics: Form and Being in the Philosophy of John Dewey" (1988) to help me with my study. Boisevert is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Siena College in upstate New York. This book on Dewey has been made available by the publisher on an open-access basis.
Boisvert reads Dewey's voluminous works carefully and thoughtfully and with great attention to history. The broad aim of the book is to show the importance of metaphysics in philosophy and in life and to argue that Dewey engaged in a reconstuction of metaphysics rather than in a deconstruction, as post-modernists and others would have it. Thus in the opening and concluding sections of the book, Boisvert discusses Richard Rorty and his interpretation of Dewey. Although he admired Dewey greatly, Rorty criticized Dewey's focus on experience and his attempt in "Experience and Nature" to develop a metaphysics based upon nature.
Boisvert sees Aristotle as the critical influence on Dewey He argues that Dewey was a philosophical naturalist, even more than he was a pragmatist, who learned from his naturalistic colleagues at Columbia, including Woodbridge, Lamprecht, and Randall. Dewey's naturalism was heavily informed by science and by Darwin's theory of evolution, unlike the thought of Aristotle. Still, Dewey's goal was to naturalize philosophy by rejecting the dualisms, such as subject-object and mind-body associated with modern philosophy beginning with Descartes.
Boisvert argues that Dewey viewed philosophy and metaphysics much in the manner of Aristotle. Dewey understood philosophy as the broad study of being ('ousia") but his being was based upon events rather than upon substance. Dewey sought to understand the relationship between fixity and change in human experience. Another Greek term, "eidos" (form) comes into play, central to both Plato and Aristotle. For Boisvert, Dewey is often misunderstood as only a philosopher of change. He argues that Dewey tried to explain the interaction of fixity and change in human experience and, as he did with being, came to understand and develop his own understanding of permancence and form. He offers a challenging interpretation of Dewey. For Boisvert, Dewey, and Aristotle, metaphysics is key to an understanding of life, but the implications of Dewey's metaphysics are not developed in the book.
The book is arranged in three parts corresponding to the basic three philosophical periods in Dewey's long career. The first covers Dewey's Idealistic phase in which he was influenced first by Kant and then by Hegel. Some readers think that Dewey's thought remainded heavily influenced by idealism throughout. Boisvert rejects this view. Among many interesting things in this part, Boisvert discusses Dewey's early book on the philosophy of Leibniz and on the importance Leibniz would have throughout in teaching Dewey about relations and dynamism.
The scecond part of the book "Experimentalism" shows how Dewey moved away from idealism under the influence of Darwinism and of psychology. He discusses at some length Dewey's unique understanding of logic and of method of inquiry -- themes which run through the book. He argues that Dewey rejected the dualism that lead to the modern philosophies of both realism and idealism and wanted to develop the changing and the constant features of experience as of a piece.
The third and longest part of the book "Naturalism" develops Dewey's metaphysics through study of several works, including "Experience and Nature", "Art as Experience" and "Logic: The Theory of Inquiry". This part has four sections which explore Dewey's objections to traditional metaphysical doctrines, his understanding of the relationship between metaphysics and evolutionary biology, his reconstruction, but not abandonment of metaphysics, and his late development of logical theory and its relationship to metaphysics. A brief conclusion works to summarize the book and to emphasize the continued importance of metaphysics in the face of a philosophical climate at the time which rejected the enterprise.
Boisvert wrote that he wanted the book to be of interest to readers with a broad interest in philosophical and human questions rather than only specialists in Dewey. It is a worthy goal, and the position Boisvert develops on the continued importance of metaphysics in the face of, for example, the thought of Richard Rorty, is valuable. This book helped me think about Dewey and about philosophy. It was good to find it available on open access.
Robin Friedman
I have been studying the philosophy of John Dewey (1859 -- 1952) and have been struggling with understanding his metaphysics in his book "Experience and Nature" and elsewhere. Although once neglected, Dewey's thought has had a resurgence of interest in recent years. And metaphysics, often pronounced dead by analytically-inclined philosophers, among others, also has experienced something of a revival.
I was fortunate to find, Raymond Boisvert's book, "Dewey's Metaphysics: Form and Being in the Philosophy of John Dewey" (1988) to help me with my study. Boisevert is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Siena College in upstate New York. This book on Dewey has been made available by the publisher on an open-access basis.
Boisvert reads Dewey's voluminous works carefully and thoughtfully and with great attention to history. The broad aim of the book is to show the importance of metaphysics in philosophy and in life and to argue that Dewey engaged in a reconstuction of metaphysics rather than in a deconstruction, as post-modernists and others would have it. Thus in the opening and concluding sections of the book, Boisvert discusses Richard Rorty and his interpretation of Dewey. Although he admired Dewey greatly, Rorty criticized Dewey's focus on experience and his attempt in "Experience and Nature" to develop a metaphysics based upon nature.
Boisvert sees Aristotle as the critical influence on Dewey He argues that Dewey was a philosophical naturalist, even more than he was a pragmatist, who learned from his naturalistic colleagues at Columbia, including Woodbridge, Lamprecht, and Randall. Dewey's naturalism was heavily informed by science and by Darwin's theory of evolution, unlike the thought of Aristotle. Still, Dewey's goal was to naturalize philosophy by rejecting the dualisms, such as subject-object and mind-body associated with modern philosophy beginning with Descartes.
Boisvert argues that Dewey viewed philosophy and metaphysics much in the manner of Aristotle. Dewey understood philosophy as the broad study of being ('ousia") but his being was based upon events rather than upon substance. Dewey sought to understand the relationship between fixity and change in human experience. Another Greek term, "eidos" (form) comes into play, central to both Plato and Aristotle. For Boisvert, Dewey is often misunderstood as only a philosopher of change. He argues that Dewey tried to explain the interaction of fixity and change in human experience and, as he did with being, came to understand and develop his own understanding of permancence and form. He offers a challenging interpretation of Dewey. For Boisvert, Dewey, and Aristotle, metaphysics is key to an understanding of life, but the implications of Dewey's metaphysics are not developed in the book.
The book is arranged in three parts corresponding to the basic three philosophical periods in Dewey's long career. The first covers Dewey's Idealistic phase in which he was influenced first by Kant and then by Hegel. Some readers think that Dewey's thought remainded heavily influenced by idealism throughout. Boisvert rejects this view. Among many interesting things in this part, Boisvert discusses Dewey's early book on the philosophy of Leibniz and on the importance Leibniz would have throughout in teaching Dewey about relations and dynamism.
The scecond part of the book "Experimentalism" shows how Dewey moved away from idealism under the influence of Darwinism and of psychology. He discusses at some length Dewey's unique understanding of logic and of method of inquiry -- themes which run through the book. He argues that Dewey rejected the dualism that lead to the modern philosophies of both realism and idealism and wanted to develop the changing and the constant features of experience as of a piece.
The third and longest part of the book "Naturalism" develops Dewey's metaphysics through study of several works, including "Experience and Nature", "Art as Experience" and "Logic: The Theory of Inquiry". This part has four sections which explore Dewey's objections to traditional metaphysical doctrines, his understanding of the relationship between metaphysics and evolutionary biology, his reconstruction, but not abandonment of metaphysics, and his late development of logical theory and its relationship to metaphysics. A brief conclusion works to summarize the book and to emphasize the continued importance of metaphysics in the face of a philosophical climate at the time which rejected the enterprise.
Boisvert wrote that he wanted the book to be of interest to readers with a broad interest in philosophical and human questions rather than only specialists in Dewey. It is a worthy goal, and the position Boisvert develops on the continued importance of metaphysics in the face of, for example, the thought of Richard Rorty, is valuable. This book helped me think about Dewey and about philosophy. It was good to find it available on open access.
Robin Friedman
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews