John Dewey
JOHN DEWEY
CONTENTS
1. EARLY LIFE
2. WORK IN PSYCHOLOGY
3. WORK IN PHILOSOPHY
4. EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
5. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM
6. CONCLUSION
EARLY LIFE
"If I were asked to name the most needed of all reforms in the spirit of education I should say: 'Cease conceiving of education as mere preparation for later life, and make of it the full meaning of the present life.'" - John Dewey
John Dewey, an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, was born on October 20, 1859 in Burlington, Vermont. Dewey’s mother, Lucina, was a devout Calvinist. His father Archibald was a merchant who left his grocery business to become a Union Army soldier in the Civil War. John Dewey’s father was known to share his passion for British literature with his offspring.
In his formative years, John Dewey attended Burlington public schools, excelling as a student. At the age of 15 years, he enrolled at the University of Vermont where he studied philosophy under the guidance of H.A.P. Torrey. Four years later, Dewey graduated from the University of Vermont second in his class.
The autumn after Dewey graduated, he landed a teaching job at a seminary in Oil City, Pennsylvania. However, he was laid off two years later. After being laid off, Dewey went back to Vermont and taught at a private school there. During his free time, he read philosophical treatises and discussed them with his former teacher, Torrey. As his fascination with the topic grew, Dewey decided to take a break from teaching in order to study philosophy and psychology at Johns Hopkins.
After completing his PhD in 1884, Dewey was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Michigan where he met Harriet Alice Chipman and the two married in 1886. Over the course of their marriage, they would give birth to six children and adopt one child.
By 1894 Dewey was made head of the philosophy department at the University of Chicago. He remained at the
CONTENTS
1. EARLY LIFE
2. WORK IN PSYCHOLOGY
3. WORK IN PHILOSOPHY
4. EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
5. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM
6. CONCLUSION
EARLY LIFE
"If I were asked to name the most needed of all reforms in the spirit of education I should say: 'Cease conceiving of education as mere preparation for later life, and make of it the full meaning of the present life.'" - John Dewey
John Dewey, an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, was born on October 20, 1859 in Burlington, Vermont. Dewey’s mother, Lucina, was a devout Calvinist. His father Archibald was a merchant who left his grocery business to become a Union Army soldier in the Civil War. John Dewey’s father was known to share his passion for British literature with his offspring.
In his formative years, John Dewey attended Burlington public schools, excelling as a student. At the age of 15 years, he enrolled at the University of Vermont where he studied philosophy under the guidance of H.A.P. Torrey. Four years later, Dewey graduated from the University of Vermont second in his class.
The autumn after Dewey graduated, he landed a teaching job at a seminary in Oil City, Pennsylvania. However, he was laid off two years later. After being laid off, Dewey went back to Vermont and taught at a private school there. During his free time, he read philosophical treatises and discussed them with his former teacher, Torrey. As his fascination with the topic grew, Dewey decided to take a break from teaching in order to study philosophy and psychology at Johns Hopkins.
After completing his PhD in 1884, Dewey was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Michigan where he met Harriet Alice Chipman and the two married in 1886. Over the course of their marriage, they would give birth to six children and adopt one child.
By 1894 Dewey was made head of the philosophy department at the University of Chicago. He remained at the