The life and mind of John Dewey

By George Dykhuizen

Book Overview

Since Dewey's career and public ser­vices were even more extensive and varied than his writings, a knowledge of them is necessary for any adequate interpretation of his ideas and publi­cations. This big and important biog­raphy traces the events of Dewey's ninety-two years and provides the chronology on which future scholar­ship must build.

By studying original source materials in Burlington and Charlotte, Vermont; Oil City, Pennsylvania; the University of Vermont; the Johns Hopkins Uni­versity; the University of Michigan; the University of Minnesota; the Univer­sity of Chicago; Columbia University; by combing newspapers, correspon­dence collections, institutional records, and particularly by establishing personal contact and communication with family members and colleagues, Pro­fessor Dykhuizen has been able to develop a comprehensive, minutely accurate, definitive portrait of John Dewey. Without point of view or thesis, the book systematically exam­ines the life and mind of the man often called the philosopher of American democracy.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809306166
• ISBN13: 9780809306169
• Release Date: September 1973
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

AN EXCELLENT BIOGRAPHY OF A PROMINENT AMERICAN INTELLECTUAL

John Dewey (1859-1952) was an American philosopher and educational theorist and reformer; fellow philosopher and student of his work George Dykhuizen has written (in 1973) this comprehensive and engaging look at his work. Dewey began as an evangelical Christian. After a "mystical experience" in high school, "For the next dozen years, he maintained membership in a church, attended religious services; when he prayed he did so as though he really meant business. When he later abandoned evangelical Christiainity, embracing first absolute idealism with its emphasis on the unity of existence, then humanistic naturalism with its stress on the continuity of man and nature, he did so primarily for intellectual and philosophical reasons rather than for emotional or mystical considerations." Although Dewey continued to be active in church and a "Students' Christian Association" in college, "faith in democracy and its possibilities was shortly to replace his faith in the Church and its work ... at this time Dewey viewed the Church as 'the highest product of the interest of man in man,' giving it his wholehearted support. He faithfully attended services on Sunday; he conducted a Bible class in 'Church History' ... and he participated in business meetings of the church." Dykhuizen notes, "his talks and writings made it obvious that social interests were absorbing his religious interests, that concern with democracy was replacing his concern with the Church." Dewey actually studied logic at the university under the famous philosopher Charles Peirce, but "The course offerings in logic by Charles S. Peirce were quite different from what Dewey expected, proving a disappoinment to him." Dykhuizen adds, "Only after some twenty years of further study did Dewey recognize the great significance of Peirce's work in logic, making it the basis of his own." Dewey's own classes were no better. "As a classroom lecturer, Dewey seemed to lack all the essentials of a good teacher.... Beginning his lecture, he spoke slowly, with no attempt at rhetorical persuasiveness... As the lecture continued, most of his listeners despaired of following his trains of thought and let their minds wander." But as a college instructor himself, he supported teacher's unions. His philosophical and educational writings are summarized, along with many interesting personal stories (for example, Dewey's marriage in 1946 at age 87 to a woman he was 45 years older than). This book is recommended for students of Dewey, Pragmatism, or the history of philosophy.