American Philosophy

John Dewey was an American psychologist, philosopher, educator, social critic and political activist. He was born in Burlington, Vermont, on October 20, 1859. Dewey graduated from the University of Vermont in 1879, and received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1884. He started his career at the University of Michigan, teaching there from 1884 to 1888 and 1889-1894, with a one year term at the University of Minnesota in 1888. In 1894 he became the chairman of the department of philosophy, psychology, and pedagogy at the University of Chicago. In 1899, John Dewey was elected president of the American Psychological Association, and in 1905 he became president of the American Philosophical Association. Dewey taught at Columbia University from 1905 until he retired in 1930, and occasionally taught as professor emeritus until 1939.

During his years at Columbia he traveled the world as a philosopher, social and political theorist, and educational consultant. Among his major journeys are his lectures in Japan and China from 1919 to 1921, his visit to Turkey in 1924 to recommend educational policy, and a tour of schools in the USSR in 1928. Of course, Dewey never ignored American social issues. He was outspoken on education, domestic and international politics, and numerous social movements. Among the many concerns that attracted Dewey's support were women's suffrage, progressive education, educator's rights, the Humanistic movement, and world peace. Dewey died in New York City on June 1, 1952.

In one of John Dewey's essay titled "What I Believe," he goes in details about his new "faith." Dewey explains that this new "faith" was based around individual experience and not with doctrines of authority. In Dewey's eyes, he feels that by following a faith of authority people will soon lose their faith in the power of experience that shapes beliefs and actions. There is a line in the essay that shows Dewey's belief that the new "faith" is based around experience not authority; "faith in its newer sense signifies that experience itself is the sole ultimate authority." Dewey also expresses that when people start having faith in a particular religion; they believe what others are telling them and not finding real faith and beliefs through their own experiences. So people need to find faith through experiencing life and not just joining a religion because someone told them to, because they will never find what true faith really is.

A consequence with Dewey's new "faith" would be there would be no more religion or religious doctrine, because everyone would believe in different things, because all their experiences would be different in life. Therefore, everyone would also have a different sense of faith and how it has helped them. So, there could be no set religion or religions that people could follow or identify with. Therefore, every individual would be following themselves and believing that their faith is the right faith to believe in.

The significance of Dewey's faith is that it shows people how to find faith through their own personal experiences in life. It also teaches people how to question authority and think for themselves. So in a sense, there would probably be no such thing as wars over who's religion is right and who's is wrong, instead everyone would agree that this is my way of faith and this is yours.

Dewey's democracy is about continuous change and adapting to society, and not being static. Dewey explains that the worst mistake people can make is visualizing democracy as fixed. In his essay "The Challenge of Democracy to Education," Dewey says "the meaning of democracy must be continually explored afresh; it has to be constantly discovered, and rediscovered, remade and reorganized." Therefore, the role of public education will help democracy not to become static and fixed.

Emerson and James were both great influences on Dewey's works and thoughts on philosophy, and there are definitely aspects of Dewey's works that connect to these two philosophers. Emerson's philosophy