Democracy and Education [with Biographical Introduction]

Not for the impatient. Dewey as a writer might sometimes make us feel like kindergartners being lectured on mostly what we already know, but that's our fault, not necessarily his. His patience in building complex concepts from the actual basics is unparallelled, but he depends on the reader to retain in mind the outlines, to sort the key ideas from the supporting arguments, and to sketch the diagrams: for better or worse, there are no math-like formulae here. But his sense of those real basics--the respect he pays to everyday experience itself, that Cinderella stepchild of modern philosophy, is worth the effort it takes to follow him out. On the other hand, the book does get more relevant to our understanding of both education and democracy as Dewey proceeds, so again, patience is rewarded. Beginning students of Dewey might do better to read Education and Experience first.

Part of the philosophical underpinning of western pedagogy. More a work of applied philosophy than anything practical or scientific, this is part of the foundation for thinking about and approaching education. Somewhat out of date - the ideas of controlling and shaping the growth of the child have changed to nurturing and guiding. Of course, the results produced by controlling far surpassed those produced currently. However, institutional education is a bastion of ideological demagoguery that will allow no outsider to question it or expect results. This is very dry and a dense, tedious read. I was a teacher, am interested in the topic and have read plenty of philosophy as dry as this. I still had trouble getting through it. Definitely only worth reading if you are very interested in the topic.  The formatting is not great on this kindle version - the section headings in the chapters aren’t underlined and bolded as they should be and instead blend into blocks of texts. Makes reading this version more difficult. I got it for free - if the price isn’t significantly lower, you should purchase a different version instead of this.

Education is the key to whole development of all societies in this world. Until we provide and give proper importance to education to the humanity we are underdeveloped. We have to spend more money on education, ie, train required teachers not with the existing system, mofifying with all required education to the teachers first,to be included all the relevant books likes this, to be enable the teacher understand the basics (all subjects, wholeness not fragmented) of everything, psychology of the students etc. In this respect, the book is very useful........

Democracy and education is a classic book. John Dewey had revolutionary ideas in regard to education and the way that our country teaches its youth. He knew, years ago, that standardized testing was problematic, both for students and teachers! He really was ahead of his time, this particular edition of the book is really nice as well.

John Dewey (1859 -- 1952) was part of the "Golden Age of American Philosophy" together with Charles Peirce, William James, Josiah Royce, and others. With their many differences, these philosophers helped develop a distinctive American philosophy of pragmatism. After a period of neglect, pragmatism has experienced a resurgence in recent years, and I have learned a great deal from it. Although I had earlier read some of Dewey's prolific and difficult writings, I only recently read his 1916 book, "Democracy and Education". Dewey wrote during the time that psychology was separating itself from philosophy. He contributed greatly to this creation of psychology as an independent discipline, as did William James. As James did earlier in his book "Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals" Dewey had a strong interest in education, shown in "Democracy and Education" and in many other writings.At the beginning of his career and for many years, Dewey was a philosophical Idealist heavily influenced by Hegel. In this regard, he was similar to Josiah Royce, but the two philosophers would move in different directions. By the time he wrote "Democracy and Education", Dewey had long abandoned his Idealism while recognizing its continued impact on his thought. In company with some other readers. I think there is a much larger residual impact of Hegel's thought in Dewey than he cared to admit.Dewey is unusual in that his work is studied in two disciplines: education and philosophy. Dewey's thoughts on education became part of a progressive movement in educating children that was praised, condemned, and misinterpreted and that is still discussed today in educational circles. I know little about the applied practice of Dewey's educational thoughts but approach him instead more through the broad questions of traditional philosophy. Dewey was ambivalent about "the broad questions of traditional philosophy". In any event, both educators and philosophers, sometimes combined in the same person, are involved in the serious study of Dewey."Democracy and Education" (1916) is a lengthy, difficult book from what is usually described as the "middle" period of Dewey's long career. Dewey's states the aims of the book in the "Preface". He endeavors to "detect and state the ideas implicit in a democratic society and to apply these ideas to the problems of the enterprise of education". He immediately raises the highly philosophical questions of "purpose" -- the purpose of democratic society and the purpose of education within it. Dewey says he will bring to bear on his study recent developments in the natural sciences, including evolutionary theory, the experimental method, and changes in industrial organization in capitalism. He wants to explore how education may help to understand and realize the "democratic ideal".The book consists of 26 chapters, each with subsections, which loosely develop an issue and which conclude with a useful short summary. The writing may be garrulous and repetitive and not well organized. It is still highly insightful. The opening chapters of the book address the nature and purpose of education, centering perhaps on the concept of "education as growth". Then, several chapters in the middle of the book address the educational curriculum, including subjects such as geography, history, the natural sciences and mathematics. Dewey explores matters such as education in preparation for a career, with the requisite skill set, education to become a participant in a democratic society, and "liberal" education with its traditional goals for people who have leisure and a degree of financial security. There is a provocatively titled chapter "The Individual and the World" which echoes a famous American metaphysical treatise, Josiah Royce's "The World and the Individual". The final chapters of the book become, if possible, increasingly philosophical in tone, with the titles "Philosophy of Education", "Theories of Knowledge" and "Theories of Morals". Dewey opposes philosophical and educational theories which separate the "inner" life of persons from the "outer" and the social and communal. The book concludes:"All education which develops power to share effectively in social life is moral. It forms a character which not only does the particular deed socially necessary but one which is interested in that continuous readjustment which is essential to growth. Interest in learning from all the contacts of life is the essential moral interest."In reading "Democracy and Education", I was impressed by its breadth, philosophical knowledge, and attempt to redirect and refocus the nature of philosophy. Dewey is deeply engaged with the history of philosophy, particularly with the Greeks. He has a great deal to say on modern philosophy, Cartesianism, and its limitations, and on Hegel. On a more particularized level, there are many individual passages in this book that I learned from, including a discussion of the piano and of pianists, such as myself, who try to serve the masters of both classical music and of ragtime.In Chapter XVIII, "Educational Values", Dewey writes:"An individual may have learned that certain characteristics are conventionally esteemed in music; he may be able to converse with some correctness about classical music; he may even honestly believe that these traits constitute his own musical standards. But if in his own past experience what he has been most accustomed to and has most enjoyed is ragtime, his active and working measures of valuation are fixed on the ragtime level. The appeal actually made to him in his own personal realization fixes his attitude much more deeply than what he has been taught as the proper thing to say; his habitual disposition thus fixed forms his real 'norm' of valuation in subsequent musical experience."What I learned most from "Democracy and Education" was Dewey's broad conception of philosophy and its nature. The book will reward readers interested in philosophical questions and in American pragmatism.Robin Friedman

John Dewey is without a doubt America's most profound philosopher to date. I have many of his books and I incorporate his theories on philosophy of education and art into my own daily practices of progressive pragmatic philosophy of education and art.

Great read and the hardcover will ensure many years of legible reading if you are interested in boring theorizing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I understand all of the goals Dewey envisioned. He was a brilliant man. I strongly recommend that you read this book first and then read Left Back by Diane Ravitch to learn how and why the progressive movement failed.

Muito bom este material

Good quality book.

very good and excellent

Simply mind blowing .... Now i know how Ambedkar was like Ambedkar ... This man Dewey was his mentor during his doctrate in Columbia University.

Value for money