John Dewey

4uring the first half of the century, John Dewey's highly original philosophy exerted an important influence on both academic philosophy and educational thinking in the United States. Between the two world wars he acquired a national reputation as a political thinker and activist, which has not since been matched. Although his academic influence began to wane with the rise of his career as a political journalist and his reputation was almost totally eclipsed after his death in 1952, a revival of interest in Dewey's work has recently taken place. The on-going assessment and appropriation of a philosopher requires not only the texts of his work, but texts which represent the best critical appraisals of that work. These four volumes draw together, from a variety of scattered sources serving several disciplines, ninety-six articles, which together constitute a comprehensive critical commentary on Dewey's work. Those who wish to take the measure of Dewey's contributions to psychology, education, political theory, epistemology, ethics, value theory, aesthetics or metaphysics will find vital and lasting resources in these volumes. Each volume is supplied with an introductory survey which orchestrates the contributions in such a way as to show how Dewey contributes in important ways to the on-going conversation which constitutes our political and intellectual culture.