Philosopher Profiles
John Dewey
(October 20, 1859 — June 1, 1952)
Dewey believed that philosophy had failed at reconciling science with values, which he saw as philosophy's main purpose. Dewey argued that this failure was due to philosophy being completely disconnected from practical activity. It's not hard to see why he might have thought this: most philosophers never leave their armchairs except to go outside and smoke every hour.
Dewy thought that we could use the scientific method to save philosophy. It's a little known fact that this is because Dewey had a rare form of single word dyslexia which meant that he always read the word ‘Science’ as ‘Philosophy’.
John Dewey Fun Facts:
Dewey invented the Dewey Decimal system that most libraries use — alphabetical listings would just be too easy.
Written By: Mark Wales
Created: 29th February, 2008 | Last Updated: —
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(Image of John Dewey is copyright of the original owner. Used under Fair Use laws.)
Photograph
John Dewey is your grandfather.
Stats
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Main Contributions:
Pragmatism -
Quotation:
“Anyone who has begun to think, places some portion of the world in jeopardy.” -
Key Areas:
Epistemology, Ethics -
Annoying Habits:
He wrote all his papers using the Dewey decimal system instead of the alphabet. -
Nicknames:
JD, Screwy Dewey
Top Trumps
- Beard: 1
- Fame: 4
- Logic: 4
- Readability: 3
- Contribution: 4
