Dewey's Empirical Theory of Knowledge and RealityThe ongoing revival of interest in the work of American philosopher and pragmatist John Dewey has given rise to a burgeoning flow of commentaries, critical editions, and reevaluations of Dewey's writings. While previous studies of Dewey's work have taken either a historical or a topical focus, Shook offers an innovative, organic approach to understanding Dewey and eloquently shows that Dewey's instrumentalism grew seamlessly out of his idealism. He argues that most current scholarship operates under a mistaken impression of Dewey's early philosophical positions and convincingly demonstrates a number of key points: that Dewey's metaphysical empiricism remained more indebted to Kant and Hegel than is commonly supposed; Shook's exposition of the unity of Dewey's thought challenges a large scholarly industry devoted to suppressing or explaining away the consistency between Dewey's early thought and his later work. In every respect, Dewey's Empirical Theory of Knowledge and Reality is a provocative and engaging study that will occupy a unique niche in this field. It is certain to stimulate discussion and controversy, forcing Dewey traditionalists out of habitual modes of thought and transforming our conventional understanding of the development of classical American philosophy. |
Contents
THE OPPORTUNITY OF DEWEYS EARLY PHILOSOPHY | 7 |
The Traditional Account of Deweys Development | 11 |
The Problem of Deweys Early Philosophy | 18 |
ABSOLUTE IDEALISM | 21 |
Knowledge and the Psychological Standpoint | 26 |
Psychology as Philosophic Method | 58 |
Classifying Deweys Idealism | 66 |
WUNDTIAN VOLUNTARISM | 71 |
Moral Judgment and the Functionally Social Self | 143 |
THE LOGIC OF CONDUCT | 163 |
Reasoning and Experience | 164 |
Intelligence and Knowledge | 176 |
Experimental Science | 194 |
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF EPISTEMOLOGY | 217 |
An Empirical Theory of Meaning | 218 |
An Empirical Theory of Knowledge | 229 |
Organic Voluntarism and Technological Psychology | 72 |
Knowledge and Will | 88 |
The ReflexArc | 106 |
The Foundations of Functionalism | 113 |
THE ABSOLUTE OF ACTIVE EXPERIENCE | 121 |
Absolute vs Functional Truth | 124 |
The Self and Experience | 132 |