Category: America’s Greatest Thinker?

Among twentieth-century humanists, none stands higher than the American John Dewey, professor of philosophy at Columbia University during the first half of the century. Dewey taught the world what a sound naturalism, humanism, secularism, and atheism should look like. In his pragmatist philosophy, these four isms not only cooperated but mutually supported each other. Subtract …

The old saying that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” has especial significance at the present time. Freedom from oppression was such a controlling purpose in the foundation of the American Republic, and the idea of freedom is so intimately connected with the very idea of democratic institutions, that it might seem as if …

Metaphysics is commonly regarded as an esoteric discipline, but in John Dewey’s hands it became directly pertinent to common life. I use metaphysics to refer to the systematic attempt to distinguish the most noteworthy characteristics of reality and to demonstrate the pertinence of such traits to human conduct and ideals. A metaphysics is developed in …

In our time, John Dewey might be called a “religious humanist,” although if he were able he might object. I am a secular humanist. Dewey’s philosophy informs many of my most significant interactions, but I do not explore in them, as Dewey did, what it means to be religious. Naturalistic philosophy and the sciences support …

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of John Dewey, we should recall that he was a deeply spiritual person, both personally and professionally. Dewey’s spirituality was not defined by organized religion. It was instead a part of his commitment to a philosophically informed version of naturalism. Dewey was an ardent opponent of …

The 150th anniversary of John Dewey’s birth is an auspicious opportunity to celebrate the life and work of one of America’s leading, perhaps foremost, philosophers. His influence on public affairs beyond the academy surely qualifies him for that distinction. In addition, he was the most influential intellectual voice of liberalism, broadly construed, for a good …