The Quest for Certainty: A Study of the Relation of Knowledge and Action

By John Dewey

Book Overview

"The Quest for Certainty" is a cornerstone of modern American philosophy, written by the influential thinker John Dewey. In this insightful study of the relation between knowledge and action, Dewey challenges the traditional philosophical pursuit of absolute, immutable truths. He critiques the "spectator theory of knowledge," arguing that the historical separation of theory and practice has hindered human progress and scientific understanding.

Throughout the work, Dewey explores how the human longing for certainty led to the creation of a rigid dualism between the mind and the world. Drawing on the successes of the experimental sciences, he proposes a shift toward instrumentalism-a perspective where ideas are seen as tools for directing human action and solving concrete problems. By integrating intellectual inquiry with practical experience, Dewey offers a path toward a more functional and adaptive approach to understanding reality.

This work remains essential reading for those interested in epistemology, pragmatism, and the philosophy of science. It provides a compelling argument for the value of experimental thinking and the necessity of bridging the gap between abstract thought and the physical world.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025935969
• ISBN13: 9781025935966
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

If There's Such Thing as a Paradigm Shift....

As you can see, this book is out of print BUT GET IT ANYWAY! Dewey's solution to the to the intrinsic/extrinsic dillemea in the philosophy of knowledge is fascinating and worth thinking about.He sees this problem as built around a misdefinition of knowledge- that is, knowledge as grasping the 'nature' of an external internally. Dewey replies, it can't be done. Knowledge, instead of drawing a hard line between the knower and the known, is experimental. When we know things, we do not know them in themselves. Rather we know our interaction with them. I can not grasp a tables nature; only traits revealed when I knock on it, set things on it, and perform other 'experiments.' Knowledge both in itself (Plato) and as gained only through passive empiricism (Locke, Hume) is a myth. While 'objectivists' might condemn this as denying the possibility of knowledge all-together, Dewey urges us against that interpretation. The objective world still exists under Dewey's remonstration. Instead of intrinsic knowledge (under Dewey, a paradox) we can only grasp it extrinsically. This leads Dewey to theories of action. Action and knowledge (if I may paraphrase) are a loop with no clear division. We act (rather interact) with reality to gain new knowledge and control of it. Similarly, knowledge has no purpose but as a tool to further interaction with reality. Even the most abstract knowledge must serve as a symbol for some action in the 'external' world. Conversely, every action is an attempt to gain some knowledge of or control over the external world. The reason for the subtracted star is that Dewey..let me see if I can put this nicely...is a horrible writer. When I say horrible, this is really dry. Couple that with ultra-abstract discussion and you'll be rereading sentences on an average of 2 per page. Trust me though, it is really worth it. Dewey, even if he doesn't change the way you look at epistemology, will give you ideas to challenge yourself with!