Close this Window

Dewey, John

Dewey, John, 1859-1952, American philosopher and educator; b. Burlington, Vt. He rejected authoritarian teaching methods, regarding education in a democracy as a tool to enable the citizen to integrate his or her culture and vocation usefully. To accomplish those aims, both pedagogical methods and curricula needed radical reform. Dewey's philosophy, called instrumentalism and related to pragmatism, holds that truth is an instrument used by human beings to solve their problems, and that it must change as their problems change. Thus it partakes of no transcendental or eternal reality. Dewey's view of democracy as a primary ethical value permeated his educational theories. He had a profound impact on progressive education and was regarded as the foremost educator of his day. He lectured all over the world and prepared educational surveys for Turkey, Mexico, and the Soviet Union. Among his works are Democracy and Education (1916) and Logic (1938).