Becoming John Dewey

Tapping archival sources and Dewey's extensive correspondence, Dalton reveals that Dewey had close personal and intellectual ties to scientists and scholars that were influential in forming the mature expression of his thought. Dalton traces the not-always-smooth pathways that led Dewey to shed his Calvinist upbringing to transform Hegelian phenomenology into a science of mind, to challenge Freudian psychology, and to articulate the central concerns of naturalism and pragmatism. Dewey's relationships with F. M. Alexander, Henri Matisse, Niels Bohr, Myrtle McGraw, and Lawrence K. Frank, among others, show how Dewey drew upon these collaborations to disperse pragmatism throughout American thought and culture. As one of America's "public intellectuals," John Dewey was engaged in a life-long struggle to understand the human mind and the nature of human inquiry.According to Thomas C. Dalton, the successful pursuit of this mission demanded that Dewey become more than just a philosopher; it compelled him to become thoroughly familiar with the theories and methods of physics, psychology, the neurosciences, and to become engaged in educational and social reform. Tapping archival sources and Dewey's extensive correspondence, Dalton reveals that Dewey had close personal and intellectual ties to scientists and scholars that were influential in forming the mature expression of his thought.Dalton traces the not-always-smooth pathways that led Dewey to shed his Calvinist upbringing to transform Hegelian phenomenology into a science of mind, to challenge Freudian psychology, and to articulate the central concerns of naturalism and pragmatism. Dewey's relationships with F. M. Alexander, Henri Matisse, Niels Bohr, Myrtle McGraw, and Lawrence K. Frank, among others, show how Dewey drew upon these collaborations to disperse pragmatism throughout American thought and culture. Dalton also considers how Dewey's successors have become divided about his conceptions of science and naturalism and how contemporary philosophy might remain true to the spirit of Dewey's experimentation. In it's focus beyond individual genius, "Becoming John Dewey" will appeal to readers interested in all aspects of Dewey's philosophy and the intellectual climate that nurtured his original ideas.