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Introduction Originality in Social Context reconstr ucting dewey ’s formative experiences Over the past decade there has been a resurgence of interest in American pragmatism and the works of its principal founders Charles Peirce, William James, and John Dewey. Dewey is best known among the general public for his experiential approach to education expressed by the motto “learn by doing.” But the philosophical and scienti¤c roots of his theories about mind and inquiry remain shrouded in mystery. The interdisciplinary character of Dewey’s ideas has attracted commentators from several academic ¤elds who bring different perspectives to bear on Dewey’s works. While this burgeoning scholarship has produced many new insights, rarely do we learn something previously unknown about Dewey’s life that puts his ideas in a new light. Historians and philosophers interested in Dewey’s intellectual development have not given suf¤cient weight to Dewey’s assertion in his 1930 autobiographical statement that “upon the whole, the forces that have in®uenced me have come from persons and from situations more than from books.”1 The scholarship on Dewey is replete with detailed analyses that trace his philosophical ideas from one book to the next. However, we rarely learn how Dewey’s personal acquaintances contributed to the further elaboration of themes central to his conceptions of mind and experience and the role of science in society. This intellectual biography describes the details of these formative experiences and pieces together the network of Dewey’s acquaintances that provided the scienti ¤c methods and aesthetic perspectives with which Dewey undertook his pragmatist project of reconstructing the processes of inquiry.2 Writing an intellectual biography that attempts to account for the genius, originality, or other unique attributes of any great thinker without the slightest acknowledgment of the environment in which these talents were nurtured and developed would be unthinkable. As George Cotkin, William James’s intellec- tual biographer, points out, while James acknowledged that “the environment did not create the individual of genius,” James admitted that the environment did play a substantial role “in determining whether the individual of genius would thrive or perish.”3 Genius probably has more to do with the persistence, resilience, and adaptability of a body of ideas than with their origination. In his penetrating psychological studies of some of the world’s most in®uential historical thinkers in the arts, science, and politics, Howard Gardner singles out several recurring social factors beyond individual control which support creativity , such as a supportive family, strong mentors, helpful collaborators, and other favorable social or collegial conditions.4 That is why this intellectual biography is concerned not merely with singling out those unique gifts of mind and character that account for that person ’s originality. Such a task also involves explaining how novel ideas are developed , circulated, appropriated, defended, and sometimes misinterpreted through interpersonal and institutional processes of intellectual exchange. This requires reconstructing the social and professional domains and the experiential and communicative processes that favor originality and that ensure the continuity of a body of ideas over time. Individuals intent on making truly important breakthroughs must be willing to challenge conventional ideas, cross domains, and be prepared to endure a sometimes prolonged status as a pariah¤gure at the margins of a chosen ¤eld of knowledge or practice. In this sense, original minds have much in common with political reformers. Intellectual pioneers attract adherents who zealously embrace their new way of thinking but whose allegiance falters when key theoretical premises are disputed. That is why I have chosen in this book to put John Dewey’s life and work within a longer time period that enables a clearer understanding of how central themes in his work have evolved, attracted criticism, and undergone revision over time. Despite his public recognition as a celebrated ¤gure in American thought and culture, Dewey remains an enigma. Dewey’s career as a public philosopher who zealously advocated and supported reforms of political, economic, and educational institutions is well-documented. Yet the processes through which Dewey brought science to bear on these issues remain shrouded in mystery. One important goal of this book is to show that Dewey derived many of his ideas about learning and the development of mind and consciousness from personal experiences, involving scienti¤c research and aesthetic analyses, that have gone unreported in other Dewey biographies. Dewey’s ideas were not immaculately conceived but emerged from a collaborative exchange of ideas and interpersonal experiences that he synthesized into a systematic theory...

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