Becoming John Dewey

A new intellectual biography of John Dewey that emphasizes his ties with psychology and the sciences.

Tapping archival sources and Dewey's correspondence, this book shows that Dewey had close personal and intellectual ties to scientists and scholars that were influential in forming the mature expression of his thought. It is intended for readers interested in Dewey's philosophy and the intellectual climate that nurtured his original ideas.

As one of America's "public intellectuals," John Dewey was engaged in a lifelong struggle to understand the human mind and the nature of human inquiry. According to Thomas C. Dalton, the successful pursuit of this mission demanded that Dewey become more than just a philosopher; it compelled him to become thoroughly familiar with the theories and methods of physics, psychology, and neurosciences, as well as become engaged in educational and social reform. Tapping archival sources and Dewey's extensive correspondence, Dalton reveals that Dewey had close personal and intellectual ties to scientists and scholars who helped form the mature expression of his thought. Dewey's relationships with F. M. Alexander, Henri Matisse, Niels Bohr, Myrtle McGraw, and Lawrence K. Frank, among others, show how Dewey dispersed pragmatism throughout American thought and culture.