viii PREFACE
Dewey viewed philosophy as “a criticism of criticisms” (LW1: 298).
In the way he criticized Cartesian and Hegelian philosophy, Dewey
had been criticized and dismissed in contemporary analytic philosophy,
while his ideas are being simultaneously reconstructed (Tiles 1988; Fair-
field 2009; Fesmire 2015) and rediscovered (Tanner 1997; Boisvert 1998;
Tan and Whalen-Bridge 2008). Whoever studies education and philos-
ophy has something to learn from Dewey, but to evaluate him in light of
the new millennium with a global perspective is a most daunting task.
During his life time, Dewey had served as President of American
Psychological Association (1899), President of American Philosophical
Association (1905), Honorary President of American Progr essive Associ-
ation (1928) and Honorary President of National Education Association,
USA (1932). A society to the study of his ideas, John Dewey Society, was
founded in 1935, and he was honored with numerous honorary degrees.
After his death, his face appeared in the Prominent Americans Series on
the American postage stamp in 1968. Today, there are centers devoted
to studying him, in the USA (Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illi-
nois University at Carbondale), in China (Dewey Center, Fudan Univer-
sity) and in Germany (Dewey Center, University of Cologne). No doubt
Dewey is an intellectual giant that deserves serious study, especially for
philosophers, educators and psychologists.
In the course of my study of John Dewey, I discover that while much
has been written about his philosophy and education, his psychology
has been largely neglected. Although he had made significant contri-
bution to psychology, Dewey was only briefly mentioned in psychology
texts. When I dig deeper in his early life, his ideas in psychology
and nineteenth-century milieu, I discover that his theory of psychology
grows to become his core concepts in education, which transforms our
present-day education practice.
This book aims to unveil a true Dewey, what his psychological and
educational ideas are as well as his impact. It starts from his early years, his
involvement in psychology and philosophy and then his move to educa-
tion. In summarizing his early works to later works in social and intel-
lectual context, I hope to rediscover a true evolving John Dewey, what