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Although pragmatism faded in importance in American philosophy after 1930, it has seen a revival since the 1980s with the writings of [[Richard Rorty]], [[Hilary Putnam]], and others.  Dewey was a very prolific writer, with dozens of books and 766 articles in 151 different periodicals. His style, however, tended toward vagueness.[[File:Dewey-time.jpg|thumb|290px|''Time'' June 4, 1928; [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,731843,00.html read the cover story]]]

Although pragmatism faded in importance in American philosophy after 1930, it has seen a revival since the 1980s with the writings of [[Richard Rorty]], [[Hilary Putnam]], and others.  Dewey was a very prolific writer, with dozens of books and 766 articles in 151 different periodicals. His style, however, tended toward vagueness.[[File:Dewey-time.jpg|thumb|290px|''Time'' June 4, 1928; [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,731843,00.html read the cover story]]]

==Career==

==Career==

Born in Vermont to an old Yankee family, Dewey was brought up in a religious environment of pius Congregationalists. He attended the University of Vermont, taught school for three years, then attended the new graduate university, [[Johns Hopkins]], receiving his PhD in 1884 with a a doctoral dissertation on a phase of Kant's psychology.  While at Johns Hopkins, he studied under [[George Sylvester Morris]].  At this stage Dewey was a strong Hegelian.

Born in Vermont to an old Yankee family, Dewey was brought up in a religious environment of pius Congregationalists. He attended the University of Vermont, taught school for three years, then attended the new graduate university, [[Johns Hopkins]], receiving his PhD in 1884 with a doctoral dissertation on a phase of Kant's psychology.  While at Johns Hopkins, he studied under [[George Sylvester Morris]].  At this stage Dewey was a strong Hegelian.

Dewey taught philosophy at the University of Michigan until 1894, when he was called to the University of Chicago, where President W. R. Harper was creating overnight one of the world's two or three greatest universities.  Dewey headed the School of Education, and worked closely with philosophers and with the intellectuals based at [[Hull House]].  His now adopted the philosophy of [[pragmatism]] that had been developed by [[Charles Sanders Peirce]] and [[William James]]. By 1903 the "Chicago school" of Pragmatic Instrumentalism was in full swing, and the educational experiments initiated in Dewey's "laboratory school" were beginning to influence educational theory at leading universities. After fighting with Harper Dewey went to Columbia University in 1904, where he was based until his retirement in 1930. Worldwide recognition was seen in his invitations to consult on educational policy with emerging nations, notably China, Japan, Turkey, Mexico, and the Soviet Union.

Dewey taught philosophy at the University of Michigan until 1894, when he was called to the University of Chicago, where President W. R. Harper was creating overnight one of the world's two or three greatest universities.  Dewey headed the School of Education, and worked closely with philosophers and with the intellectuals based at [[Hull House]].  His now adopted the philosophy of [[pragmatism]] that had been developed by [[Charles Sanders Peirce]] and [[William James]]. By 1903 the "Chicago school" of Pragmatic Instrumentalism was in full swing, and the educational experiments initiated in Dewey's "laboratory school" were beginning to influence educational theory at leading universities. After fighting with Harper Dewey went to Columbia University in 1904, where he was based until his retirement in 1930. Worldwide recognition was seen in his invitations to consult on educational policy with emerging nations, notably China, Japan, Turkey, Mexico, and the Soviet Union.

Dewey played a major role in stopping Stalinist infiltration of the American intellectual community and in developing an anti-Stalinist policy. He generally supported American foreign policy, including both World Wars, and was a strong opponent of both the Soviets and the Nazis.  His argument that true liberals have to reject cooperation with Stalinists became a permissible position in the late 1930s, including among some liberals.

Dewey played a major role in stopping Stalinist infiltration of the American intellectual community and in developing an anti-Stalinist policy. He generally supported American foreign policy, including both World Wars, and was a strong opponent of both the Soviets and the Nazis.  His argument that true liberals have to reject cooperation with Stalinists became a permissible position in the late 1930s, including among some liberals.

Dewey was a longtime supporter of labor unions and in 1932-33 played a key role in purging Communists from the teachers' union, arguing they were not truly dedicated to education. He rejected the then current Stalinist position that the purpose of the union is to join the "[[class war]]" in order to promote the "cause of workers against employers." Nevertheless the Communists took control of the union and in 1935 Dewey helped start the Teachers Guild, a new anti-Stalinist union for teachers in New York City.  In 1935 the national union expelled the Communist local and made Dewey's Teachers Guild the official union.

Dewey was a longtime supporter of labor unions and in 1932-33 played a key role in purging Communists from the teachers' union, arguing they were not truly dedicated to education. He rejected the then current Stalinist position that the purpose of the union is to join the "[[class war]]" in order to promote the "cause of workers against employers." Nevertheless, the Communists took control of the union and in 1935 Dewey helped start the Teachers Guild, a new anti-Stalinist union for teachers in New York City.  In 1935 the national union expelled the Communist local and made Dewey's Teachers Guild the official union.

Dewey chaired the 1937 “trial” of [[Leon Trotsky]], held in Mexico City during the [[Great purge]]. The trial absolved Trotsky of attempting to assassinate [[Joseph Stalin]] and incite war against the Soviet Union.<ref>Isaac Deutscher, The Great Purges, edited by Tamara Deutscher (Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1984), p. 7.</ref> Overall, the hearings constituted a decisive moment in American liberalism, which had previously been uncritical in  its praise of Soviet Communism. By the time of the trial. Dewey and many American liberals began to examine the Russian Revolution more closely and became convinced of its corruption.<ref>Jay Martin, "John Dewey and the Trial of Leon Trotsky," ''Partisan Review'' 2001 68(4): 519-535. 0031-2525</ref> At no time in his career was Dewey a [[Marxist]]; indeed he was a sharp, hostile critic of Marx.

Dewey chaired the 1937 “trial” of [[Leon Trotsky]], held in Mexico City during the [[Great purge]]. The trial absolved Trotsky of attempting to assassinate [[Joseph Stalin]] and incite war against the Soviet Union.<ref>Isaac Deutscher, The Great Purges, edited by Tamara Deutscher (Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1984), p. 7.</ref> Overall, the hearings constituted a decisive moment in American liberalism, which had previously been uncritical in  its praise of Soviet Communism. By the time of the trial. Dewey and many American liberals began to examine the Russian Revolution more closely and became convinced of its corruption.<ref>Jay Martin, "John Dewey and the Trial of Leon Trotsky," ''Partisan Review'' 2001 68(4): 519-535. 0031-2525</ref> At no time in his career was Dewey a [[Marxist]]; indeed he was a sharp, hostile critic of Marx.

"The way in which Rockefeller (Middlebury College) has presented the generally accepted two periods of Dewey's development (childhood through the Michigan years and from Chicago on) enables him to show the continuous role of religion in Dewey's life and thought as his thought evolved. What emerges is not only a broadened perspective on Dewey's naturalism, but the best intellectual biography of Dewey that we have. . . . The book fills a need that George Dykhuizen's The Life and Mind of John Dewey {BRD 1973} did not, despite all that work's value as a factual resource."

"The way in which Rockefeller (Middlebury College) has presented the generally accepted two periods of Dewey's development (childhood through the Michigan years and from Chicago on) enables him to show the continuous role of religion in Dewey's life and thought as his thought evolved. What emerges is not only a broadened perspective on Dewey's naturalism, but the best intellectual biography of Dewey that we have. . . . The book fills a need that George Dykhuizen's The Life and Mind of John Dewey {BRD 1973} did not, despite all that work's value as a factual resource."

*Library Journal v. 116 (March 1, 1991) p. 91

*Library Journal v. 116 (March 1, 1991) p. 91

"Rockefeller shows how Dewey's evolving thought was closely related to the events and experiences in his life, and he interweaves both throughout the narrative, rather than considering them separately--a very effective strategy. . . . Aside from its value as a major study of Dewey's life and thought, this work has great value in showing how contemporary sensibilities which are persuaded by the natural-scientific worldview can, at the same time, maintain a religious orientation."</ref>  Dewey viewed conservative Christianity (i.e., protestant [[fundamentalism]] and mainline [[Catholicism]]) as a dark, evil lair harboring political enemies if not intellectual rivals of his own philosophy and its emphasis on "intelligence" as well as "religious" feelings.  This can be seen in part in a 1924 essay titled "Fundamentals" written for the ''New Republic''<ref>''John Dewey: Religious Faith and Democratic Humanism'', Steven C. Rockefeller, p.442</ref>

"Rockefeller shows how Dewey's evolving thought was closely related to the events and experiences in his life, and he interweaves both throughout the narrative, rather than considering them separately--a very effective strategy. . . . Aside from its value as a major study of Dewey's life and thought, this work has great value in showing how contemporary sensibilities which are persuaded by the natural-scientific worldview can, at the same time, maintain a religious orientation."</ref>  Dewey viewed conservative Christianity (i.e., Protestant [[fundamentalism]] and mainline [[Catholicism]]) as a dark, evil lair harboring political enemies if not intellectual rivals of his own philosophy and its emphasis on "intelligence" as well as "religious" feelings.  This can be seen in part in a 1924 essay titled "Fundamentals" written for the ''New Republic''<ref>''John Dewey: Religious Faith and Democratic Humanism'', Steven C. Rockefeller, p.442</ref>

{{cquote|Those traditionalists and literalists who have arrogated to themselves the title of fundamentalists recognize of course no mean between their dogmas and blank, dark, hopeless uncertainty and unsettlement. Until they have been reborn into the life of intelligence, they will not be aware that there are a steadily increasing number of persons who find security in ''methods'' of inquiry, of observation, experiment, of forming and following working hypotheses.}} Dewey was surprised by the strong sway that [[neo-orthodoxy|neo-orthodox]] figures like [[Reinhold Niebuhr]] were coming to hold over the [[liberal]] academy&mdash;his 1934 ''A Common Faith'' was a reaction towards, what was to him and other religious/secular humanists, a still very unacceptable and even repulsive form of Christianity. For not only did Niebuhr never deny, but he sometimes upheld biblical supernaturalism.

{{cquote|Those traditionalists and literalists who have arrogated to themselves the title of fundamentalists recognize of course no mean between their dogmas and blank, dark, hopeless uncertainty and unsettlement. Until they have been reborn into the life of intelligence, they will not be aware that there are a steadily increasing number of persons who find security in ''methods'' of inquiry, of observation, experiment, of forming and following working hypotheses.}} Dewey was surprised by the strong sway that [[neo-orthodoxy|neo-orthodox]] figures like [[Reinhold Niebuhr]] were coming to hold over the [[liberal]] academy&mdash;his 1934 ''A Common Faith'' was a reaction towards, what was to him and other religious/secular humanists, a still very unacceptable and even repulsive form of Christianity. For not only did Niebuhr never deny, but he sometimes upheld biblical supernaturalism.