Transforming experience : John Dewey's cultural instrumentalism / Michael Eldridge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Eldridge, Michael.

Series:

Vanderbilt library of American philosophy

The Vanderbilt library of American philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dewey, John, 1859-1952.

Dewey, John.

Instrumentalism (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

xii, 236 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Nashville : Vanderbilt University Press, 1998.

Summary:

John Dewey (1859-1952) wanted, above all, for his contemporaries to live more intelligently so that they could live better. This is what informed his life-long activities as an academic, a public philosopher, and an educator.

In Transforming Experience, Michael Eldridge defines what is central to Dewey's philosophy as "cultural instrumentalism," a version of pragmatism that understands thinking to be a tool for dealing with life's problems. For Dewey, philosophy's primary role is to develop this tool to better society and its members. In particular, Eldridge shows how this central aim of Dewey's philosophy applies specifically to the political and religious aspect of human experience.

While acknowledging and building upon the work of previous Dewey scholars, Eldridge distinguishes his own contributions by systematically concentrating on Dewey's core purpose of promoting intelligent action. In so doing, he makes the case that some Dewey scholars have misunderstood the implications of Dewey's elevation of the "problems of men" above the "problems of philosophers." Eldridge's opening chapters provide an overview of Dewey's thinking and explain common misreadings of Dewey, particularly his instrumentalism. Later chapters relate this instrumentalism to his secular philosophy and confront his controversial use of a reconstructed religious language.

Contents:

1. Introduction: Dewey's Lifelong Effort 3

Dewey's Project 4

My Project 7

2. Intelligent Practice: Dewey's Project 13

Rorty's Challenge 14

Dewey's Natural Intelligence 17

Intelligence as an End-in-View: The Philosophic Move 26

Experience and Its Possibilities 36

3. Transforming Society: Dewey's Cultural Instrumentalism 43

Misreading Dewey 44

The Dewey-Niebuhr "Debate" 52

Dewey and the Means for Social Reconstruction 62

"Genuine Instrumentality" and Democratic Means 67

Dewey's Limited Success 82

4. A Transforming Society: Democratic Means and Ends 85

Dewey as a Political Inquirer 87

Ordered Richness 97

Instrumentalism and Ideals in Dewey 109

Looking Ahead: A Matter of Faith 123

5. Dewey's Religious Proposal 126

Handling Dewey's Religious Proposal with Care 127

Dewey's Faith 130

A Common Faith 145

Religion: Not Dewey's Problem 167

6. The Secularity of Deweyan Criticism 170

Dewey's Secular Approach 171

Social Intelligence and Secular Humanism 178

The Limitations

Real and Alleged

of Dewey's Instrumentalism 184

"Thoughtful Valuation" and the Cultural Orientation of Dewey's Instrumentalism 194.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 224-229) and index.

ISBN:

0826513077

0826513190

OCLC:

38125894